Strong Quake Rattles Northern Argentina

A strong, 6.2 magnitude quake struck Argentina on Thursday, rattling a sparsely populated northern region bordering Bolivia and Paraguay but with no early reports of casualties.

The temblor struck at 8:12 am (1112 GMT) at a depth of 9.4 kilometers (5.9 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors seismic activity around the world.

It was centered some 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the city of Saltas and about 675 kilometers (420 miles) from Paraguay's capital Asuncion, in a mountainous and sparsely populated region of Jujuy province, Carlos Rufino of Argentina's seismic institute Inpres told AFP.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, Rufino said.

The quake-prone region has seen a great deal of seismic activity in recent years, including a 5.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of neighboring Chile last month, just 76 miles (123 kilometers) from the capital Santiago.

Chile was also the location of last year's mammoth 8.8 magnitude quake which unleashed a deadly tsunami and killed more than 500 people.