Just before Midnight on Monday, Chile was shaken by an earthquake which would be paralyzing to many regions in the world. In August of 2011, a 5.8 registered just outside of Virginia in the Unites States forced office closures, and evacuations in the nation’s capital.

With an epicenter just 260 from the largest city in the nation, and 26 miles from the nation’s legislative bodies, the quake on Monday startled the country which has seen an increased frequency of seismic activity over the past few years.

First hand accounts of the quake suggested that it lasted more than 30 seconds as it knocked out power and phone services.

According to the USGS, the quake was a Magnitude 6.7 which hit offshore of Valparaiso, Chile.

Fortunately, no major damage occurred due to strict building codes in the seismically active country.

Incidentally, a news anchor for Chile’s national station, Christian Pino was live when the shaking started, and became a minor celebrity due to his ability to stay calm and carry on as the earthquake subsided.

As recently as March the 25th, Chile suffered through a magnitude-7.1 earthquake; however, that quake wasn’t as close to the country’s population center.