A strong 6.8 earthquake rocked northern Chile a short time ago; after evaluating data from the quake further, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has determined that there is no tsunami threat for the U.S. West Coast, Alaska, British Columbia, Canada, or Hawaii.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the earthquake struck at 23.4 south and 68.5 north at about 3:35am ET, 12:36am PT, and 9:36pm HT.  The 6.8 earthquake was centered roughly 86 miles deep.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, because of the considerable depth of the quake, no tsunami is expected.




Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. According to NOAA, out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters.