A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck the Drake Passage off South America early on Friday morning, prompting a tsunami precaution alert in the Chilean Antarctic territory. The earthquake was initially reported as a magnitude 8.0 but was later downgraded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to 7.5. It occurred at a depth of 11 kilometers (7 miles).

The quake’s epicenter was located over 700 kilometers southeast of Ushuaia, Argentina, a city with a population of about 57,000. The Drake Passage is a body of water situated between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica.

The Chilean Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service issued a tsunami precaution alert for the Chilean Antarctic territory following the earthquake. Although no immediate damage or injuries have been reported, the earthquake struck at 2:16 am UTC (7:46 am IST).

In an earlier seismic event, on August 17, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia shook the eastern side of the country, injuring 29 people, including two in critical condition. This earthquake was followed by at least 15 aftershocks, but no tsunami warning was issued by Indonesian authorities.

In July, a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka region, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific. Tsunami waves from the Russia quake reached up to 13.1 feet in some areas, and the event was one of the strongest earthquakes recorded in recent history.

The ongoing global seismic activity continues to raise concerns, with authorities closely monitoring aftershocks and potential hazards from the recent quake in the Drake Passage.

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