Chile hits by 7.1 magnitude quake, no major damage reported London [U.K.]. Powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on richter scale rocked the west coast of Chile, shaking the capital Santiago as well. The earthquake also led two significant after shocks of magnitudes 5.0 and 5.4 in the same spot. As per the assessment by Chile’s emergency services, no major damage was apparent, reported the Guardian.
The Earthquake was not expected to cause a tsunami as per the Chilean Navy and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. As the quake was centered 22 miles (35 km) west of the coastal city of Valpara. so, the Chilean authorities initially ordered a preventative evacuation of the coastal area near Valparaiso but cancelled it shortly afterward.
Chile has a long history of massive quakes, due to being located on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”. Chile was the victim to the largest recorded 9.5 magnitude earthquake that hit it in 1960. Another 8.8 magnitude quake hit off the south-central coast in 2010, also leading to a tsunami.
On Christmas day 2016 a major 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted southern Chile, prompting thousands to evacuate coastal areas, but no fatalities or major damage were reported in the tourism and salmon farming region. The long, slender country runs along the border of two tectonic plates, with the Nazca Plate beneath the South Pacific Ocean pushing into the South America Plate, a phenomenon that also formed the Andes Mountains.
