MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ushuaia again feels seismic activity from the Drake Passage

The most southern city is the gate for Antarctica cruise tourism

Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, extreme south of Argentina was again rattled this week with seismic activity of 5.3 points intensity in the Richter scale, although there were no human losses and minimum damage to property.

The tremor occurred last Wednesday but was only confirmed Friday and was located in the Drake Passage, 365 kilometres off the coast at a depth of 39.6 kilometres, according to the Rio Grande Astronomy Station.

The tremor was described as a replica of a stronger quake from last Sunday which reached 6.3 in the Richter scale, also in the Drake Passage at a depth of 25 kilometres.

On both occasions most Ushuaia went unaware of the phenomenon.

At the time Alejandro Giuliano from Argentina’s Seismic Prevention Institute, Inpres, warned that “Ushuaia belongs to the Scotia and Antarctica plaques and replicas can be expected or anticipated as the earth cortex rebalances. These seismic incidents will continue until a new equilibrium is reached”.

With this last experience the number of quakes recorded in Argentina in the last four days totalled nine.

The United States Geological Survey, USGS, also announced that Thursday night a quake took place in the south of Chile. It had an intensity of 5.2 in the Richter scale and its epicentre was located 355 kilometres south east of Santiago at a depth of 4 kilometres. Half an hour later USGS recorded another tremor further south along the Chilean coast: this time the intensity was 4.8.

The other tremors in Argentina this last week were reported in a north-western arch and affected the provinces of Jujuy (4.3 intensity); Santiago del Estero (intensity 5.2); Tucuman (intensity 5.4); La Rioja (intensity 4.3) and San Juan (intensity 5.5).

In all cases tremors went mostly unnoticed.