A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Drake Passage, the body of water separating the southern tip of South America from Antarctica, late on Friday, prompting a tsunami warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC).
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), making it a shallow earthquake capable of generating significant seismic sea waves.
In response, Chile’s SHOA maritime authority issued a precautionary tsunami alert for the nation’s Antarctic territory, urging residents and research personnel in coastal zones to move to higher ground as a safety measure.
So far, no reports of damage or casualties have been issued, but authorities across the southern regions of Chile and Argentina remain on alert. The Drake Passage, located between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, is known for its intense seismic and oceanic activity due to the convergence of major tectonic plates.
