A 7.5 magnitude earthquake rattled the Chilean Antarctic region and the southern Drake Passage on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.

There was no threat of a tsunami from the quake, which took place at 10:16 pm (0216 GMT Friday), at a depth of 6.7 miles (10.8 kilometers), the survey said in a statement.

Drake Passage is a turbulent, 500-mile-wide strait between South America and Antarctica, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The National Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that a tsunami was not expected.

Chile's national disaster response service (Senapred) described the earthquake as "medium intensity" and said a "precautionary alert" had been issued for the Antarctic territory.

A source from the Chilean interior ministry said "there is no danger for the Magallanes region," the southernmost inhabited area of the South American continent.

The state of precaution "requires abandoning beach areas" and "rocky shores" of the national Antarctic territory, according to Senapred.

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