SHATTERED PERSPECTIVE BY Matthew Nason On Wednesday evening a 6.

7 magnitude earthquake rippled through Chile, no doubt recreating a scene of tragedy and loss very fresh in the minds of the Chilean people. More than 350 miles away from its epicenter, the quake caused office buildings to sway in the capital city of Santiago. NPR reported that witnesses described people running from buildings into the street in panic. There were no immediate reports of injury and the oceanographic service reported no tsunami threat; but the broken windows and upended shelves and downed telephone poles must remind Chileans of the overwhelming natural disasters that they have seen befall their country in one lifetime. As reported by the Associated Press, the National Chief of the Chilean National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI), Miguel Ortiz stated that "there's no doubt the population in some places fled, following a culture of evacuation." The culture of evacuation Ortiz refers to is due in large part to the disaster that struck the South American nation no more than 3 years ago. In 2010, a fatally powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the country and subsequently caused a tsunami event that devastated the Chilean coastline. The total loss of life was over 500 souls; the country suffering the complete annihilation of over $30 billion in homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Undoubtedly the 2010 earthquake and tsunami impacted the over 2 million Chileans that survived it. 200,000 homes were swept into the sea, harbors and marinas along with their ships were demolished and top of the line resorts and tourist destinations had been flattened. Chiles history of tragedy runs even further in 1960 an unthinkable 9.5 magnitude earthquake killed over 5,000 people. On Wednesday, when this most recent earthquake struck the region, it begs the question how many people were transported to that terrible day in February of 2010? How many were instantly and simultaneously thrust into fearing for their lives, their families, their survival, their livelihoods? Their worries are not misplaced. Chile lies on what geologists call the Ring of Fire. It got this name because it runs a ring along the coastal landmasses surrounding the Pacific Ocean. It indicates areas of frequent volcanic and seismic activity. This ring runs its circuit through a tectonic plate boundary along South Americas Pacific Coast, bordering Chile for its entire length. This causes a high level of seismic activity for the region.