Four days after the biggest earthquake in Taiwan's history, scientists said that people should be not be overly anxious about another major earthquake in the Chianan Plain (
However, scientists cautioned people should be prepared for aftershocks, especially those who live east of the epicenter, 12.5km west of Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) in Nantou County.
"Is that [Tuesday's tremor] the `big one' scientists expected?" people have been asking since Sept. 21. Based on information gathered in a three-day field investigation, the National Science Council (NSC, 國家科學委員會) provided the answer yesterday.
"Science experts conclude that only a low possibility of another big quake following in southern Taiwan exists," said NSC chairman Huang Chen-tai (黃鎮台).
"Some aftershocks, possibly over six on the Richter scale, are expected. We need to warn people, especially those who live in areas east of the epicenter, to be careful about aftershocks," said Tsai Yi-ben (
Scientists are still working out the precise sequence of events that led to the earthquake.
The epicenter lay between the Chelungpu fault (車籠埔斷層) and the Tamaopu-Shuangtung fault (
To evaluate earthquake disasters, officials from the NSC's National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE,
"By simulating the earthquake, we can know immediately which parts of the island could have been most seriously affected. We have provided the disaster rescue center a list of areas that will most need emergency services," said Loh Chin-hsiung (
Meanwhile, the Central Weather Bureau says there is a rumor spreading across the island that there will be aftershocks of even greater magnitude than Tuesday's jolt. The bureau dismisses this idea, and has posted vital information on its World Wide Web site (http://www.cwb.gov.tw) to explain why the rumor is groundless.
Bureau officials said yesterday that they had recorded more than 5,000 aftershocks since the seismic activity started.
"People don't have to be worried by this rumor, the aftershocks are releasing stored-up energy in a gradual manner," said Hsin Tsai-chin (
More worrying, according to officials at the bureau, is an approaching storm. The bureau cautioned those in disaster areas to prepare for possible heavy rain and low temperatures brought on by Tropical Storm Cam (凱姆颱風), which was southwest of Taiwan yesterday evening. Officials said the temperature during the night in mountain areas in central Taiwan might drop to 10°C or lower.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
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