Powerful earthquake hits offshore near Chile and Argentina

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck about 219 kilometers south of Argentina on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The quake occurred at 9:58 a.m. local time (12:58 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers, based on the agency’s preliminary data. The quake’s epicenter was beneath the ocean, just south of Ushuaia, a town near Argentina’s southern tip. While there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, authorities in both Argentina and Chile promptly issued tsunami alerts as a precaution.

Following the main 7.4-magnitude earthquake, at least 20 aftershocks were recorded in the impacted regions. Footage shared on social media showed landslides occurring on Famantina Hill, part of Argentina's Andes Mountain range. President Gabriel Boric announced on social media that all emergency resources were being deployed and urged people to follow official instructions while Chilean authorities later lifted the tsunami warning but maintained cautionary alerts.

Television images showed residents in Punta Arenas, a city on the Strait of Magellan, taking shelter outdoors. “We received the alert and evacuated our workplace, but people are calm and know what to do,” a local resident, Roberto Ramírez, told reporters. Meanwhile, authorities in Ushuaia, Argentina’s southernmost city, temporarily halted all water activities in the Beagle Channel for at least three hours. The tremor was strongly felt in Ushuaia and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of the province. Officials reminded the public to stay calm during such events.

Chile is highly susceptible to powerful earthquakes due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for frequent tectonic activity. Over the years, the country has experienced several major quakes, with the most powerful being the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, which reached a record-breaking magnitude of 9.5. This earthquake remains the strongest ever recorded globally. More recently, the 2010 Maule earthquake, which measured 8.8, caused widespread destruction and significant economic damage while in 2014, the Iquique earthquake struck with a magnitude of 8.2, following several foreshocks, and triggering a large tsunami.