Magnitude 7.1 quake strikes off Chilean coast, near Santiago

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck off the west coast of Chile on Monday (local time), near the capital Santiago, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which Reuters witnesses said shook buildings in the capital, was centred 35 km west of the coastal city of Valparaiso at a shallow depth of 10 km below the seabed. The USGS initially assessed the temblor as a magnitude 6.7.

Chilean authorities initially ordered a preventative evacuation of the coastal area near Valparaiso, some97 km west of Santiago, in case of a tsunami, but cancelled it shortly afterward.

The Chilean Navy and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake was not expected to cause a tsunami.

The initial assessment by Chile's emergency services was that the quake appeared to have caused no immediate damage.

A magnitude 7.1 quake is considered major and is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage, but the effects of this one would have been tempered because it was offshore. 

A Civil Defence spokeswoman said there was no threat of a tsunami reaching New Zealand's coastline and no warnings had been issued.

 

Photo: US Geological Survey (A strong 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Chile, near the capital Santiago).