6.2 magnitude quake hits off Chile coast – USGS

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the Chilean coast, the US Geological Survey has reported. It struck at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles).

The jolt occurred late Saturday 157.4 km (97.8 miles) to the southeast of Talca, a city of around 200,000 people south of the capital, Santiago. 

There has been no tsunami alert issued as a result of the quake.

Around 10 million people might have felt the quake, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

However, it is not expected to cause casualties or major material damage.

Chile is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Ring of Fire, the 40,000km-long zone that dominates the Pacific Ocean, and runs through countries including Chile, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Peru, Guatemala, the US, Mexico, and Russia.

The region is responsible for around 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes, and is home to 450 volcanoes or about 75 percent of the world’s total.

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