8.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile
WASHINGTON (AFP) – An 8.5-magnitude earthquake struck thePacific Ocean near the coast of Chile early Saturday and US authorities warned it could generate a tsunami.
The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 3:34 am local time (0634 GMT), was 91 kilometers (56 miles) north northeast of the Chilean town of Concepcion and 110 kilometers southwest from Talca, also in Chile, the US Geological Survey said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The US Pacific Tsunami warning center issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch for Ecuador.
It said it was not yet known if a tsunami had been caused but "an earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines within hours."
The center warned authorities to take "appropriate action".
The quake magnitude reading is based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale which is used by US seismologists and measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.
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