Washington (AFP) - A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Argentina Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake, at a depth of 62 miles (100 kilometers), struck shortly after 1400 GMT about 16 miles north of the city Chilecito in the South American nation's La Rioja province.

Villagers reported that the movement was felt in the neighboring provinces of Catamarca, Tucuman and Cordoba.

The country's seismic authority also reported three smaller earthquakes Sunday.

The quake near the border with Chile follows a 6.4-magnitude earthquake of "great intensity" earlier this month in central Chile.

That earthquake shook buildings in the capital Santiago, causing panic among residents, whose frantic phone calls clogged cellular networks and land lines, AFP correspondents said.