6.1-magnitude earthquake north of Kalama, Chile, 'ring of fire'

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 83 kilometers north of Kalama, Chile, belonging to the Pacific Rim midwifery, where earthquakes and volcanic activity is active, at 5:43 a.m. today.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was 21.72 degrees south latitude and 69.08 degrees west longitude, and the depth of the earthquake was 105 kilometers.

Chile is at the center of the 'Ring of Fire', a huge 40,000 km long earthquake and volcanic activity zone surrounding the Pacific Ocean, where 75% of the world's major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

Earlier in 1960, Chile's magnitude 9.5 earthquake in Valdivia was recorded as the strongest earthquake in history, and 2010's magnitude 8.8 Maule earthquake also caused massive damage.

Kalama, where the earthquake struck, is a copper mining city in the province of Antopagasta in northern Chile, popular with tourists for its desert tours and archaeological sites.