A 1-2-3 punch for Chile

Seismologists, geophysicists and others with similar interests have long known that Chile occupies a prime location on the Ring of Fire, the zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that encircles the basin of the Pacific Ocean. Just how dangerous that locale can be was demonstrated -- again -- on Thursday.

Chile, still struggling to recover from a Feb. 27 magnitude 8.8 quake -- one of the most violent on record -- was hit Thursday by three powerful aftershocks. One was almost as strong as the temblor that devastated large parts of Haiti in mid-January. The strongest of the trio, a 6.9 magnitude quake, struck at 11.39 a.m. local time. It was followed by a 6.7 magnitude quake 16 minutes later. A third aftershock, measured at magnitude 6.0, came 27 minutes after the second.

Chile's Navy promptly issued a tsunami warning and government officials urged coastal residents to seek higher ground. Residents heeded the warning, mindful of the fact that hundreds of people perished when tsunami struck coastal towns following the February earthquake. Elsewhere in Chile, frightened residents scurried into the streets as buildings swayed, windows shook and the ground trembled from the force of the aftershocks.

The aftershocks struck on Chile's inauguration day. New President Sebastian Pinera was inaugurated about the time the aftershocks hit, causing momentary concern and prompting one visiting dignitary to joke that the quake gave them "a moment to dance." Mr. Pinera's response was far less jocular.

He said there was significant property damage and that there were no initial reports of casualties. The latter, of course, could change as officials begin to canvass the hardest-hit areas. The new president promised to send the "necessary armed forces" to safeguard citizens and to promptly provide other aid. That should assure Chileans that the transition in the presidency will not affect the nation's ability to help its citizens at a time of crisis.

Chile's trying time, in fact, might not be over. A geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, says the country can expect to feel "aftershocks of the aftershock." That's a frightening prospect as well as a reminder that life along the Ring of Fire is forever unsettled.