7.5 magnitude earthquake shakes remote Drake Passage, no tsunami risk

An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck the remote Drake Passage on Thursday, August 21, 2025, triggering a tsunami warning in parts of Antarctica that was later cancelled. 

The earthquake hit the region that links the South Atlantic Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean around 11:06 p.m. local time (Argentina). 

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) found that the epicenter of the quake was around 710km (441 miles) in the southeast of the Ushuaia and around 258km (160 miles) in the northwest of Base Frei Motalva, Chile. 

The experts reported that the initial quake was about 10.8km (6.7 miles) deep which further strengthened the shaking.

Due to seismic activity, the Chilean Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) soon announced a tsunami alert in its Antarctic coastal region as a precautionary measure.

Consequently, all staff members at the naval base were transferred to the predesignated shelter “Sargento Rojas” as a precautionary measure.

Subsequently, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that it didn’t have any massive threat of a tsunami after the quake.

Later, all the tsunami advisories were cancelled and it was informed that there’s no further risk.

Initially, USGS reported the magnitude of the earthquake as 8.0 but later revised to 7.5.

Although it had a high magnitude, the earthquake was of low impact due to the high remoteness of the area.

No land casualties have been reported so far and there are no official evacuation orders for the nearest population areas in Chile and Argentina.