Lemaire and Bryde Islands, next to the Drake Passage
Chile feared a tsunami, but the alert was raised after several aftershocks.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 shook the Drake Passage this Friday, between South America and Antarctica, at around 9:30 pm (Lisbon time).
The epicenter was located 10 kilometers deep. Initially, a tsunami warning for Chilewhich has since been lifted.
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center recorded several replicaswith magnitudes of 5.7, 5.4 and 4.9.
There are currently no reports of victims or significant damage, but the Drake Passage, measuring approximately 800 kilometers between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, is considered one of the busiest maritime areas on the planet, known as “the roughest sea in the world”.
Furthermore, this Friday’s tremor comes on the same day that a strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of the Philippines, which triggered the tsunami warning and evacuated several provinces.
The Drake Passage is a 965-kilometer-wide stretch of ocean between Cape Horn, in South America, and the South Shetland Islands, in Antarctica. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is known for its violent winds, strong currents and gigantic waves caused by the Antarctic Current.
Named after English explorer Sir Francis Drake, the passage served as one of the most important maritime links before the opening of the in 1914. Today, it remains crucial to scientific and climate research, providing insights into global ocean circulation and polar ecosystems.
