Dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks hit the nation’s east coast late on Wednesday and early yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Bureau data showed that the region was first rattled by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake at 11:17pm on Wednesday, with its epicenter near the coast of Hualien. The earthquake triggered a series of aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 3.5 to magnitude 4.7, data showed.
The bureau said that the power released by the earthquake was equivalent to about one-eighth of an atomic bomb.
The maximum intensity generated by the earthquake reached Level 5, which was recorded in Hualien and Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), it said.
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake was detected at 12:55am yesterday, whose epicenter was near Hualien’s Hsiulin Township (秀林), while a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck at 2:19am yesterday, with its epicenter located near Hualian Count’ys Fuli Township (富里).
Bureau director-general Shin Tsay-chyn (辛在勤) said that there were three main earthquakes between Wednesday night and early yesterday morning, in addition to the two that exceeded magnitude 5.
He said that the magnitude 5.6 earthquake happened at the front edge of the Philippine plate, adding that such an earthquake would inevitably generate frequent aftershocks caused by the expansion of the plate.
Shin said that the magnitude 5.5 earthquake was caused by a fault dislocation, rather than an undersea earthquake.
The bureau would need to identify where the fault is and monitor its movement, he said.
It was a coincidence that all three earthquakes happened in one night, he said, adding that earthquakes happen frequently along the nation’s east coast because of the extrusion of the Euroasian and Philippine plates.
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