5.7 earthquake hits central Chile: US govt

An earthquake measuring 5.7 hit an area in central Chile early today, the US government reported.

An earthquake measuring 5.7 hit an area in central Chile early Saturday, the US government reported.

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The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 2:58 pm local time (0558 GMT), was located 110 kilometers (68 miles) south southwest of the town of Concepcion and 130 kilometers (81 miles) north northwest of the town of Temuco, according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.