Overview
- A strong earthquake measured at about M6.8–6.9 occurred near Calama in Chile’s Antofagasta Region at 21:52 UTC on Monday, with reported epicenters roughly 20–31 km northeast or east‑northeast of the city.
- Official agencies gave slightly different preliminary parameters with the Centro Sismológico Nacional reporting M6.9 at 114 km depth, the USGS M6.9 at 101 km, and the EMSC M6.8 at 103 km.
- The tremor was widely felt across northern Chile, including areas north of Antofagasta, and local footage showed items falling from supermarket shelves but no large-scale damage in early reports.
- The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued no tsunami threat and authorities have not confirmed any major damage or casualties as national and local teams continue impact checks.
- Chile’s location on the Nazca–South American subduction zone produces frequent large quakes and this intermediate-depth event typically causes strong shaking with lower surface rupture and tsunami risk, so officials are focused on localized damage surveys and aftershock monitoring.