A strong shock of earthquake Of magnitude 7.1 was recorded in Drake channelthe oceanic trait that divides Antarctica and South America, at 23:16 of August 21 (local time, 04:16 of 22 August in Italy). The epicenter was located about 700 km from Land of fire (an archipelago located at the southern end of South America, between Argentina and Chile) and 258 km from Frei base in Antarctica.
The hypocentro, on the other hand, was detected 5 km of depth, according to what reported by the Ingv. The USGS, on the other hand, reported a shock of magnitude of 7.5 to 10.8 km deep.
Although it is relatively superficial, the earthquake did not cause damage: however, the USGS immediately issued anTsunami alert For the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina, withdrawn shortly after. The alert was issued as a precaution, after less than a month ago a tsunami had threatened the entire western coast of the South America, triggered by magnitude earthquake 8.8 registered in Kamchatka.
In reality, according to the surveys of the United States Geological Surveythe first shock of M7.1 was followed by two others, respectively of magnitude 5.1 And 5.0located at a depth of 10 km.
The Drake channel, however, is one of the More dangerous seafood stretches Of the world: here the Pacific, Atlantic and southern oceans meet, with very strong ocean winds and winds and currents.
