A powerful 6.9-magnitude Earthquake The storm struck northern Chile on Monday (local time), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The earthquake occurred at a depth of about 100 km in the Atacama desert region, about 31 km from the city of Calama. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or major damage. Chile, one of the most seismically active countries in the world, frequently experiences strong earthquakes due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.