A shallow 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Chile's northwestern coast today, but it did not trigger a tsunami, said seismologists based in the United States.
The undersea quake had a depth of six kilometers and its epicenter was about 100 kilometers from Iquique, on Chile's Pacific coast, the US Geological Survey said.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert.
Quakes are common off Chile's coast. On March 16 a 6.7-magnitude earthquake jolted the same area, generating a small tsunami and prompting authorities to evacuate three cities.
In February 2010, central and southern Chile were hit by a powerful earthquake of 8.8-magnitude followed by a tsunami that devastated dozens of towns.
The quake left more than 500 dead and USD 30 billion in damage to infrastructure.
