No Tsunami Threat From 7.8M Chilean Aftershock

The northern coast of Chile continues to be rocked by aftershocks, including one this afternoon with a magnitude of 7.8.

No wide-ranging tsunami was created by that earthquake, which occurred at 4:43 p.m. Hawaii time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

According to the US Geological Survey, the latest quake occurred near the coastal Chilean city of Iquique, which has a population of about 180,000.

An aftershock with a magnitude of 6.4 struck just offshore of the city 45 minutes earlier.

The tremors follow Tuesday’s 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck further offshore and north of Iquique early Tuesday afternoon (Hawaii time).

That temblor generated a 7-foot local tsunami and caused at least six deaths in Chile. It took nearly four hours before scientists were able to determine that Hawaii was not under the threat of a tsunami.

There have been at least 11 strong aftershocks off Chile’s Tarapaca Region since then, including eight with a magnitude greater than 5.