A powerful earthquake of 6.9 magnitude struck northern Chile on Monday. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake was 31 km from the city of Kalama in the Atacama Desert at a depth of about 100 km underground.
However, despite the strong tremor of the earthquake, there is currently no news of any casualty or major damage. The National Seismological Center of the University of Chile said the quake struck at 5:52 p.m. local time (2152 GMT), with its epicenter 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) south of the city of Calama.
At the same time, Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service said that there is no danger of tsunami and there are no reports of injuries or serious damage. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred about 31 kilometers south of the city of Kalama in the Atacama Desert, at a depth of about 100 kilometers (63 miles).
Let us tell you that Chile is a South American country. This country is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world. Chileans don’t worry much about earthquakes less than 7.0 magnitude.
Three tectonic plates are found within the territory of Chile – the Nazca Plate, the South American Plate and the Antarctic Plate. Due to which earthquake tremors are felt here.
In 1960, the southern city of Valdivia was hit by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake. During this period there was severe devastation and 9,500 people were killed. In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck central Chile, killing more than 520 people.
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