The powerful quake, at a depth of 135 kilometres, hit at approximately 5:19 AM with an epicenter about 67 kilometres southeast of the San Pedro de Atacama tourist zone, US seismologists said.
Chile's National Office of Emergency said the "medium- intensity" quake was felt in the northern regions of Tarapaca, Antofagasta and Atacama.
Chile lies on what is known as the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2010 another quake measuring 8.8, also followed by a tsunami, struck the center and south of the country, killing more than 500 people.