The USGS says the quake's epicenter was located 33 kilometers southeast of Putre, Chile, and was at a depth of 128 kilometers. The quake hit at 1:51 am today.
Chile is one of the world's most seismic countries and is prone to tsunamis because of the way the Nazca tectonic plate plunges beneath the South American plate, pushing the towering Andes cordillera ever higher.