Thursday, October 6, 2011

6.2 quake rattles Northern Argentina, no initial damage reported

There were no immediate reports of damage after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook northern Argentina yesterday, police and local authorities said.

The quake was located 87 miles (139 km) northeast of Salta, said the US Geological Survey, revising the magnitude up from an initial reading of 6.0.

The quake struck at a shallow depth of 5.9 miles (9.5 km), US Geological Service stated.

An official at the world's biggest copper mine, Escondida, in the north of neighboring Chile, said workers did not feel the tremor.

"We haven't had any reports of damage (but) the quake was felt strongly. People ran out onto the streets, they went running outside," a civil defense spokesman in Salta said.

Local media said the tremor was felt across much of northern Argentina.