An earthquake measuring 7.8 in magnitude shook South America, after which tsunami warnings were issued. However, emergency authorities later withdrew them. The quake struck the Drake Passage, a stretch of water between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica.
After the earthquake, tsunami warnings were briefly issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Chile’s SHOA marine authority but were lifted later. The United States Geological Survey estimated the depth of the quake at 10 km (6.21 miles).
Chilean authorities had warned of possible effects on their Prat and O’Higgins military bases near Antarctica, as well as in Cape Horn, a small town on an island at the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego.
The earthquake hit just before 5:30 p.m. local time (2030 GMT), and within a little over an hour, authorities withdrew the tsunami alerts.
Because the Drake Passage has deep waters and rough, windy seas, tsunami waves there are less likely to grow stronger before reaching land.
