6.8 Earthquake Off Coast Of Chile

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit central Chile Friday, centered around the same where last year’s magnitude-8.8 quake spawned a tsunami and destroyed several coastal villages. This time, there was no risk of a tsunami, and there were no reports of damage or injuries.

In the following hours, a dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitude-3.9 to magnitude-6.3 shook the seismically active area.President Sebastian Pinera appealed for calm and praised his government and Chileans in general for responding quickly. “Today we’re better prepared,” Pinera said. “I think we’ve learned the lesson of Feb. 27, 2010.”

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck offshore, about 45 kilometers north of the city of Concepcion. The epicenter was relatively close to the coast, at 36 degrees south latitude and 73 degrees west longitude. The earthquake was half as deep, at 18 kilometers, as the Feb. 27, 2010 quake which killed over 500 people.

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