A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the north of the nation yesterday afternoon, the Central Weather Bureau said, adding that the strong earthquake was unlikely to generate any aftershocks in the next few days.
The earthquake was the strongest recorded in the nation this year, as well as the second-strongest since the 921 Earthquake of 1999, which had a magnitude of 7.3 and caused severe damage.
No damage to any public facilities or casualties were reported, as the epicenter was deep in the ocean, the bureau said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Bureau data showed that the earthquake occurred 73.1km northeast of Keelung City Hall at a depth of about 270km.
Observation centers in Yilan County’s Nioudou Village (牛鬥), Hualien Country’s Heping Township (和平) and Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County registered the greatest intensity generated by the earthquake, level 4.
The intensity level in Taipei and New Taipei City reached level 3, data showed.
Seismology Center Director Kuo Kai-wen (郭鎧紋) said the temblor occurred because the Philippine Sea Plate was subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate.
The epicenter was on the northeast earthquake belt, Kuo said, adding that the earthquake released energy equivalent to the explosion of 32 atomic bombs.
Chang Chien-hsin (張建興), a specialist at the Seismology Center, said the last time that a large earthquake happened near the same area was on Dec. 11, 2013, when a magnitude 6.7 earthquake was detected at a depth of 280km, he said.
However, yesterday’s earthquake was not likely to generate any aftershocks, Chang added.
“People in the north first experienced the earthquake vertically because of the P-waves produced by the earthquake,” he said.
The earthquake was unrelated to the Okinawa Trough’s expansion, which was identified as the cause of a series of earthquakes on May 13, Chang added.
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