6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Chile

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

Great Earthquakes In Diverse Places

6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Chile

Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:17am GMT
 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Chile's mine rich north on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but Chilean officials said there were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.

The quake was centred 49 miles (79 km) east northeast of Calama, at a depth of 61.5 miles (91 km). It hit at 20:11 local time (OO11 GMT).

"It was a quake of medium intensity. It caused some consternation among residents, but there are no reports of any damage," Johaziel Jamett, head of the early warning centre at Chile's state emergency office Onemi, told Reuters.

An official at state copper giant Codelco, the world's top producer of the red metal, said there was no damage to the company's northern installations.

A huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-central Chile in February, killing at least 500 people and causing massive damage.

(Reporting by Alan Elsner in Washington and Alonso Soto and Fabian Cambero in Santiago. editing by Simon Gardner)