Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes northern Chile

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck northern Chile, causing strong shaking across the region, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and preliminary reports.

The earthquake struck at 7:52 p.m. local time on Monday and was centered in Chile’s Antofagasta region, according to the USGS. It occurred at a depth of 120 kilometers (75 miles).

The epicenter was located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of Calama, a city in the Atacama Desert, not far from Chile’s border with Bolivia.

Reports on social media indicated that shaking was felt across a wide area, including parts of southern Peru and central Chile. Some residents said the shaking lasted up to a minute.

Footage shared online showed objects swinging inside apartment buildings. There were also preliminary reports of power outages in parts of the affected region.

Chile is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries because it sits along the boundary where the Nazca Plate is being forced beneath the South American Plate.

Strong and deep earthquakes are common across northern Chile, especially in mining regions such as Antofagasta, where shaking can be felt across long distances because of the size and depth of the event.