A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile early Tuesday but there was no tsunami warning and the quake caused relatively minor structural damage, authorities said.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.8, a scale later revised upwards to 7.0 by Chile's National Seismological Center (CSN).

Despite the tremor's strength, relatively little damage was reported by Chile's National Emergency Office (ONEMI).

Electricity outages were reported in some areas and road links were cut following a landslide.

Emergency services reported "masonry damage to homes" in areas of the northern city of Copiapo, but no injuries were reported.

The epicenter was 55 kilometers (34 miles) from the town of Huasco, in the largely desertified Atacama region, about 700 kilometers north of the capital Santiago.

The quake struck at 0400 GMT and authorities reported about 50 aftershocks in the region, some measured at 5.4 magnitude.

Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

The 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile was, at 9.5, the strongest ever recorded on the magnitude scale, according to the USGS.

Chile lies on the Ring of Fire -- an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Study links rise of buried CO2 with earthquakes in Italy
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 26, 2020
Geologists have discovered a link between carbon dioxide degassing patterns and earthquake incidence in Italy's Apennine Mountains, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. Over millions of years, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere gets trapped in rocks and minerals called carbonates through a variety of chemical and biological processes. When tectonic forces heat and melt deep-lying rocks, CO2 gets released and slowly rises toward the surface. According to ... read more