An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter scale rocked the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaiso and Santiago, in northern and central Chile affected by the earthquake of magnitude 8.4 on Sept. 16 that killed 14 people and millionaire damages in the southern country.
Authorities said the quake caused no casualties today or visible damage and is a replica of the earthquake, totaling more than 600 in a week.
The ground shake struck at 13.13 pm and its epicenter was located 19 kilometers northwest of the town of Punitaqui and 300 north of Santiago, in the Coquimbo region, reported the Seismological Center at the University of Chile.
The hypocenter was 50 kilometers deep, the agency said, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) determined at 32 kilometers below the surface and calculated the magnitude 5.6 quake.
The Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy said while the quake did not meet the necessary conditions to generate a tsunami off the coast of Chile.
The National Emergency Office meanwhile reported that in the region of Atacama tremor was felt with intensities of between 3 and 2 international Mercalli scale, 5 and 3 degrees in Coquimbo, Valparaiso while the intensities were 3 and 2 degrees and 2 in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago.
"No damage was reported to people, change in basic services or infrastructure product of this earthquake," said Onemi.
From 10.35 am on Thursday (1335 GMT), more than a dozen aftershocks have been recorded in the quake zone, with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0, the last one at 13.34 local time (16.34 GMT ), of magnitude 4.4.