A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Atlantic Ocean in the area of the South Sandwich Islands, the US Geological Survey reported on Saturday.
According to the USGS, the focus of the earthquake was located at a depth of 10km, at a considerable distance from the usually uninhabited islands.
Because the islands have no permanent population and the closest settlement is 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) from the epicenter of the quake, no tsunami warning has been issued.
However, the Department of seismology and volcanism of the Institute of Geological and Atmospheric Research AC in Mexico evaluated the power of the magnitude to be 6.7, with the depth of the focus at 88km.
The subduction of the South American Plate beneath the South Sandwich Plate is causing seismic activity in the South Sandwich Islands.