Ecuador earthquake tops magnitude 6.9

Ecuador earthquake: The epicenter about 100 miles from the capital, Quito, but so far no reports of damage or injuries have been reported.

Downtown Quito, Ecuador is seen in this file photo. The ecuador earthquake on Aug. 8 was 6.9 magnitude. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Newscom/File

August 12, 2010

A powerful earthquake shook the South American nation of Ecuador on Thursday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

The magnitude-6.9 quake that hit at 6:54 a.m. (1154 GMT) was felt across much of the nation, including the capital, Quito.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was centered 105 miles (170 kilometers) southeast of Quito. But it was also very deep — about 114 miles (190 kilometers) below the surface — a distance that might have blunted its damage.

Liliana Troncoso of the national geophysical institute told Sonorama radio that local instruments registered shaking for almost 10 minutes.