SANTIAGO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A moderate earthquake hit the northern copper mine region of Chile Wednesday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

    The quake, registering 5.7 degrees on the Richter scale, occurred at 8:40 p.m. (2340 GMT) with an epicenter of 65 km east-northeast of Calama, a mining town near a large copper mine, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

    On Tuesday, two small earthquakes also shook the northern cities of Iquique and Arica in the Tarapaca region, causing no serious damage.

    On Nov. 14, Chile's northern region suffered a 7.7-degree quake, which killed two people and injured more than 110 others.