HUGE AFTERSHOCK STRIKE CHILE

Science More: Earthquake Huge Aftershock Strikes Chile Joe Weisenthal and Paul Szoldra Apr. 2, 2014, 11:29 PM 5,207 2 inShare1 exposure aftershock chile USGS One night after Chile was struck with a massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake, the region has been hit again.

A 7.8 aftershock registered near Iquique, a coastal town that was also near the center of the activity yesterday.

While Tuesday's quake struck roughly 62 miles off the coast, tonight's aftershock struck just 12 miles away from the city, home to roughly 227,000 people. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the aftershock.


 There were six dead and millions were forced evacuate the area after Tuesday's earthquake however, ABC reported. Per the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a warning is in effect for both Chile and Peru. While it was not yet known whether a tsunami had been generated, "an earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours," the center wrote, in a statement.

 After Tuesday's earthquake, Rick Allmendinger, a structural geologist who specializes in earthquake analysis at Cornell University, cautioned that the first 8.2 quake may not be only one to hit the region.

 "As big as [this earthquake] is, it probably has not released all of the stored up energy on the subduction earthquake fault in northern Chile," Allmendinger said, in a statement to Business Insider. His warning has proven correct, as Chile had experienced more than a 50 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or higher since then, The Atlantic reports.

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By:Joe Weisenthal and Paul Szoldra/  BusinessInsider