Major 7.7 Earthquake Shakes Chile

'Horribly strong' temblor felt across 1,300 miles in South America
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 14, 2007 10:44 AM CST
Major 7.7 Earthquake Shakes Chile
Chile's capital city, Santiago. "We are evaluating the impact that the quake might have caused," a spokesman for Chile's National Emergency Office told television reporters.   (Wikimedia Commons)

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rattled through northern Chile this morning, the AP reports, cutting power and causing injuries, but no deaths. The US Geological Survey said the temblor was centered 780 miles north of the capital Santiago, and a government spokeswoman said it was felt across 1,300 miles. "It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise," one eyewitness said.

The USGS said the quake's 37.8-mile depth diminished its power. The quake centered on a mineral-rich area, Reuters reports. State copper mine Codelco had no immediate word on damages, but Chile is the world's leader copper producer and futures in New York jumped 3.2%. Meanwhile, officials downplayed the threat of tsunami.
  (More US Geological Survey stories.)

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