SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) 鈥� A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northern Chile on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. No tsunami warning was issued in the earthquake-prone South American nation.
The quake鈥檚 epicenter was 104 kilometers (64 miles) southwest of San Pedro de Atacama, a small town on the edge of the northern desert near Chile鈥檚 border with Bolivia, the United States Geological Survey reported.
The USGS said that the quake, at 12:21 p.m. local time, had a depth of 93 kilometers (58 miles). Chile鈥檚 national disaster agency deemed the earthquake to be of 鈥渕edium intensity,鈥� and it said it would keep evaluating for any potential damage. It said the quake did 鈥渘ot meet the conditions necessary to generate a tsunami" along the coast.
Chile is located in the so-called 鈥淩ing of Fire鈥� 鈥� the region running from Chile to Alaska where tectonic plates clash under the surface of the Pacific Ocean and spawn earthquakes and tsunamis.
Chileans still have painful memories of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake in 2010 that triggered a tsunami and killed 526 people. Since that disaster, Chilean authorities have sought to improve emergency procedures and fit buildings with shock-absorbing devices that can greatly reduce damage and prevent collapse.
The Associated Press
