6.1-magnitude quake shakes northern Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 23: The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.1 earthquake has struck in far northern Chile. There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning.

The USGS says the quake's epicenter was located 20 miles (33 kilometers) southeast of Putre, Chile, and was at a depth of 128 kilometers. The quake hit at 1:51 a.m. (4:41 GMT) Monday.


Chile is one of the world's most seismic countries and is prone to tsunamis because of the way the Nazca tectonic plate plunges beneath the South American plate, pushing the towering Andes cordillera ever higher.

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