Chilean authorities revoked evacuation orders for southern regions and Antarctic bases after a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Drake Passage near Cape Horn on Friday morning.
The shallow quake, occurring at just 10 km (6 miles) depth according to the U.S. Geological Survey, initially prompted precautionary evacuations for approximately 2,000 residents and researchers.
SENAPRED, Chile’s disaster agency, confirmed no infrastructure damage or casualties, though Antarctica’s Prat Base recorded a 6 cm (2.3 in) “instrumental tsunami” before the all-clear was issued.
Social Media Captures Calm Evacuations Amid Tsunami Warnings
Videos circulating online showed orderly evacuations across Chile’s Magallanes region, with coastal residents heeding sirens to move to higher ground. Photos revealed parks and designated safe zones filled with students, workers, and families during the hours-long alert.
Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde initially maintained coastal restrictions before SENAPRED Director Alicia Cebrian fully canceled warnings, noting potential sea level fluctuations up to 90 cm (35 in) might still occur.
More than a dozen aftershocks have been detected since the initial quake, which struck at 9 a.m. local time in the seismically active Drake Passage.
The rapid de-escalation of alerts highlights Chile’s advanced tsunami response system, developed after history’s strongest recorded earthquake (9.5 magnitude in 1960) devastated the country.
While Antarctic research stations resumed normal operations, scientists have been hard at work monitoring the region for further tectonic activity along the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire.
