Large earthquake strikes off coast of Chile

May 20, 2013

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.5 earthquake has struck off the coast of Chile.

The quake was recorded at 5:49 a.m. local time (EDT; 0949 GMT) Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), some 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the city of Puerto Quellon. No tsunami warning was issued.

Chile's naval seismology office says it was not felt on land. U.S. seismologists originally estimated the magnitude at 6.8.

Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude-8.8 quake and the tsunami it unleashed in 2010 killed 551 people and destroyed 220,000 homes. It was so strong it changed time, shortening the Earth's day slightly by changing the planet's rotation.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded also happened in Chile, a magnitude-9.5 in 1960.

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