A new tremor shook the city of Mina Collahuasi, when the earth began to move at 01:17 (local time) on Wednesday, February 22.According to preliminary information from the National Seismological Center (CSN), the telluric movement had a magnitude of 3.4 and a depth of 119.0 kilometers.The exact location of the epicenter was located 52.0 kilometers southwest of the town, with coordinates -68.906 degrees of longitude and -21.237 degrees of latitude.Remember that in the face of any earthquake, follow information only from official sources, avoid falling for rumors or false news.After an earthquake, check your house in search of possible effects, use your cell phone only in an emergency, avoid saturating the telephone lines, do not light matches or candles until you are sure that there is no gas leak.It is important to mention that after a major telluric movement, aftershocks can occur, so it is important to be alert.An earthquake can happen at any time, so it is important to be prepared with the following measures: prepare a civil protection plan, organize evacuation drills, find safety zones at home, school or workplace and prepare a backpack emergency.During an earthquake, stay calm and find a safe place, stay away from objects that could fall, do not use the elevators, do not stay in the stairwell, or in the doorway.If you're in a car, park and move away from buildings, trees, and utility poles;if you are on the coast, leave the beach and take refuge in high areas, in case of a tsunami;and if you are in a wheelchair and cannot move to a safe place, brake the wheels and protect your head and neck with your arms. The most seismic area in the worldChile is one of the countries with the most seismic activity on the planet, this is due to its geographical and geotectonic location, since it is within one of the areas with the greatest release of energy, in the permanent convergence of the "Nazca Plate" and the "South American Plate", in the so-called subdiction zone.In addition, the country is located in a region known as the Pacific Ring or Ring of Fire, considered the region with the largest number of volcanoes and tremors on the planet.This area gathers 75% of the volcanoes that exist in the world and includes more than 450 volcanic structures, not to mention that it is where 90% of the seismic activity occurs worldwide and 81% of the strongest telluric movements on the planet. .The Pacific Ring of Fire reaches the entire Pacific coast, starting in Chile, passing through Central America, Mexico, the United States, touring the Aleutian Islands, then down the coasts of Russia, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, until it reaches New Zealand.Some volcanoes that are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and that have generated relevant eruptions with great damage on a global scale are: Krakatoa in Indonesia, Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Santa Elena in the United States, El Chichón in Mexico and the Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, among others.Every time a major earthquake or eruption occurs in this region, the fear arises that the Pacific Ring of Fire will "activate" leaving more natural disasters in its wake, however, this is not possible, since each tremor or activity volcanic activity are mostly independent of each other, that is, they are not directly related. Chile's seismic historySince 1570, around a hundred strong earthquakes have occurred in Chile, of which almost thirty were of magnitude greater than 8.According to the Department of Emergency and Disaster Risk Management, on average, an earthquake of more than 8 magnitude occurs every 10 years.These are some of the most important tremors recorded in the history of Chile.The strongest earthquake in historyOn the afternoon of May 22, 1960, the largest earthquake on record occurred, with magnitude 9.5, its epicenter was the city of Traiguén, in the province of Malleco.However, it is known as the "Valdivia earthquake" because it was where the most damage occurred.The telluric movement also caused a tsunami with waves up to 10 meters high that devastated a good part of the south of the country.The tsunami was affected beyond Chile, reaching Asia, in Japan, for example, it was hit by waves six meters high, leaving several dead and significant damage in its wake.The last major tremor to hit Chile was the one known as “27F” that occurred on February 27, 2010, the second strongest earthquake in its history.With a magnitude of 8.8, the seismic activity had as its epicenter the coasts of the Maule region and surprised the population during the early hours of the morning.As in 1960, less than an hour after the earthquake, a tsunami hit the country, mainly in the Maule and Biobío regions.Outside of Chile, the tsunami reached Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica, without major damage.deadliest earthquakeOn the night of January 24, 1939, the deadliest earthquake in the history of Chile occurred.An 8.3-magnitude earthquake was felt from Valparaíso to Temuco, however, it was in Concepción and Chillán where the most damage was concentrated.This seismic activity was known as the Chillán earthquake because it was right there where the most destruction was left behind, just to say that more than half of its buildings fell.The 1939 Chillán earthquake is the earthquake that has claimed the most fatalities in Chile.The official death toll was 24,000, but some estimate that it was close to 30,000, although only 5,685 were identified.In addition to the aforementioned tremors, there have been other important ones in the history of Chile.For example, two other telluric activities with a magnitude greater than 8.5 have been recorded, however, these have occurred more than 100 years ago -not counting the aforementioned earthquakes-, according to CSN records.On the morning of July 8, 1730, an 8.7-magnitude tremor was felt in Valparaíso that left around 3,000 dead.Another earthquake, this time of 8.8 magnitude, was reported in Arica on the night of September 16, 1615, which surprisingly left no victims.On the other hand, there are two more earthquakes that left a balance of more than 2,000 deaths: on the night of May 9, 1877, in Iquique, an 8.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded;and the one on the morning of February 8, 1570, which had a magnitude of 8.3.