Strong earthquake hits northern Chile

[-Pastor-Dale-Morgan-]

Great Earthquakes In Diverse Places

Strong earthquake hits northern Chile

8 December 2011

VALLENAR, CHILE (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck near a city in northern Chile on early Wednesday evening, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake at 7.23 p.m. local time (2223 GMT) was centered about 79 kilometers (49 miles) north-northwest of Vallenar, the capital of Huasco Province in the Atacama Region. It struck about 24.4 kilometers (15.1 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Chilean Seismological Service.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale (MMS), estimated that some 1,500 people near the epicenter may have felt 'very strong' to 'severe' shaking. Some 220,000 others may have felt 'moderate' to 'strong shaking.'

According to the country's National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI), the earthquake was widely felt in the region but said there were no reports of damage. "There have been no reports of damages to basic services and infrastructure or casualties," ONEMI said.

Chile is frequently struck by large earthquakes. On May 22, 1960, the 'Great Chilean earthquake' struck the coast of central Chile. The 9.5-magnitude earthquake, the largest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded, left between 490 and 5,700 people killed.

And on February 27, 2010, an epic 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck approximately 95 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Chillan, offshore of Bio-Bio, at a depth of about 35 kilometers (21.7 miles). The earthquake, along with a resulting tsunami, left at least 525 people killed and more than 12,000 others injured while damages were estimated at $30 billion.