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.

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit the southern part of Chile today, and tens of thousands of people fled the coastlines fearing a tsunami. There were no reports of deaths or damage, and Vicente Nunez, head of the National Emergency Office, said no tsunami alert was issued.

“There has been no harm to people, no harm to property,” Nunez said. “We will continue monitoring.”

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii also said a destructive Pacific Ocean-wide tsunami was not expected. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was about 45 miles away from the provincial capital of Temuco. The quake struck at a depth of about 11 miles, according to the USGS, and there was at least one aftershock of 5.0 magnitude.

Early this morning, a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the central area of Chile, with the epicenter just 317 km south-west of the country’s capital of Santiago.

Capital buildings swayed for around 20 seconds, with bridges and homes collaspsing. The death toll is at 122 at this point, but is expected to rise.

A tsunami set off by quake threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean, triggering tsunami warnings for Chile, Peru and all the way to the Hawaiin islands.

With power and phone lines down right now, Americans seeking information on friends and family are instructed to call 1-888-407-4747.