The centre of the 8.0 earthquake.AN enormous magnitude 8 earthquake has struck Chile, near the regional city of Iquique. No reports of the impact have yet been received.
The USGS reports the quake was centred about 83km North West of the city, placing it in the Pacific Ocean.
A tsunami warning has been issued. Chile, Peru, Ecuador have been given the notice, while Columbia, Panama and Costa Rica have been given a "watch" notice.
=====
IQUIQUE, CHILE (BNO NEWS) -- A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 struck off the coast of northern Chile on Tuesday evening, prompting tsunami warnings for Pacific coastlines in the region, seismologists and officials said.
The 8.0-magnitude at 6:46 p.m. local time was centered about 83 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of Iquique, the capital of the Tarapaca Region in northern Chile. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it extremely shallow, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center immediately issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific coastlines of Chile, Peru and Ecuador, while a tsunami watch was in effect for Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. It was not immediately known whether a tsunami had been generated by the earthquake.