A magnitude 6 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake struck in the sea, 20 miles southwest of the port city of Arica at around 5.45am local time, at a depth of 20 miles, the USGS said.
Half a million people are estimated to live within a 60-mile radius of the quake and are likely to have felt it.
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile around 5.45am Tuesday, though there were no immediate reports of damage
However, there were no immediate reports of damage and the USGS said the likelihood of casualties was low.
Chile sits on the infamous ‘Ring of Fire’ – a series of particularly active fault lines circling the Pacific Ocean.
The Atacama Fault line cuts down the centre of the country, caused by the meeting of the South American tectonic plate – on which Chile sits – and the offshore Nazca plate, which is forced underneath it.
The country routinely suffers strong earthquakes, with fifteen registering at magnitude 7.0 or above in the last two decades.
Chile was last hit by a major earthquake in September 2015 when an 8.3 tremor struck in the ocean off Illapel, triggering a 15ft tsunami and killing 15 people.
At least 90,000 people were left without power as a result of the quake, with another 9,000 being left homeless.
Another 8.2 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Iquique in April 2014, creating a 7ft tsunami which killed seven people.
