An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 on the open Richter scale occurred near the coast of the province of Esmeraldas in the north-west of Ecuador, there are no casualties or material damage yet.

The quake struck at 11:24 p.m. local time Tuesday (04:24 GMT Wednesday) at 0.60 degrees south latitude and 80.20 degrees west longitude, according to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School.

According to the source, the shock occurred at a depth of 8 kilometers.

Ecuador is located in the Pacific Rim or Ring of Fire, where some of the most important subduction zones (breakup of tectonic plates) in the world are concentrated and is an arena of strong seismic activity.

In addition to Ecuador, the horseshoe belt includes countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

On April 16, Ecuador will commemorate the seventh anniversary of one of the most destructive earthquakes in its recent history with a magnitude of 7.8.

This natural phenomenon, which occurred on April 16, 2016, caused more than 670 deaths, thousands of victims, and caused millions of dollars in property damage.

This earthquake struck the provinces of Esmeraldas (on the border with Colombia) and its neighbor Manabi, both located on the coast of the Andean country, but it also affected other areas and was strongly felt even in the capital of Ecuador, Quito, located in the city of the province of Pichincha, in the Andean zone of the country.