North Chile shaken by powerful quake for 2nd time this week

SANTIAGO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 shook northern Chile on Saturday night, the second powerful tremor to hit the country this week, though there were no reports of casualties or property damage.

The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was 45 kilometers (29 miles) northwest of Ovalle in the northwest of the country, and about 400 kilometers (249 miles) north of Chile's capital, Santiago. The quake struck at a depth of 30.7 kilometers (19 miles), it said.

Chile's National Emergency Office said there had been no reports of injuries or damage.

The Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean navy said the characteristics of the earthquake did pose a tsunami threat for the coast.

A magnitude 6.8 quake struck in the Pacific off the coast of northern Chile early Tuesday. No injuries or damage were reported.

Chile lies along the Pacific basin's 'Ring of Fire', and is frequently hit by tremors with magnitudes exceeding 6.0.

The last major earthquake was in the early morning of February 27, 2010, a magnitude 8.8 jolt that affected several Chilean regions and caused a tsunami, killing 526 people and leaving dozens missing.