Two magnitude 5.7 earthquakes that struck on Saturday night and yesterday morning were aftershocks triggered by a magnitude 6.4 quake on Tuesday last week, a seismologist said, adding that the epicenters of the aftershocks are moving westward.
Saturday and yesterday’s earthquakes occurred as people were preparing for the Lunar New Year holiday this week.
As of 10am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) recorded 110 aftershocks from last week’s main earthquake, including six magnitude 5 to 6 quakes and 32 magnitude 4 to 5 tremors. Seventy-one of the earthquakes were smaller than magnitude 4.
Photo courtesy of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction
Thirty-one of the aftershocks were felt nationwide, while 79 were regional.
The operations of Taiwan Railway Corp (台鐵) and the high-speed rail were slightly affected due to the quakes.
The hypocenter of the magnitude 5.7 earthquake on 7:49pm on Saturday was in Tainan’s Dongshan District (東山) at a depth of 7.7km, while the second one, which struck at 7:38am yesterday, was in Tainan’s Nansi District (楠西) at a depth of 8.1km.
The CWA categorized both as “very shallow earthquakes.”
Most of the aftershocks were recorded in Nansi, CWA data showed.
That the epicenter of Saturday’s quake was in Dongshan showed that aftershocks have begun to move west, National Chung Cheng University earth and environmental science professor Wen Yi-ying (?怡瑛) said.
“The quake was near Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫), and its epicenter was surrounded by faults in the south, north and west. Subsequent aftershocks in that area could damage the reservoir,” Wen said, adding that residents near the reservoir should be cautious.
Former Seismological Center director Kuo Kai-wen (郭鎧紋) said the magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred because of movement on the Lunhou Fault (崙後斷層), a 48km-long fault that stretches from east of Chiayi County’s Chukou (觸口) to Tainan’s Zuojhen District (左鎮).
Of the 15 earthquakes recorded on Saturday, nine hit from Dongshan and four from Nansi, Kuo said.
The Nansi quakes were aftershocks of the earthquake that struck on Tuesday last week, while those from Dongshan were more related to the Lunhou Fault, he said
“It is not an active fault, and records show that it did not have a significant change in seismic activities over the past few years. However, it has a high strain rate,” he said. “The quake shows that the fault is in a state of aseismic slip, which is detectable without notable earthquakes. It also implies that crustal strain accumulates rapidly in the fault area, which has a very high potential for large earthquakes and should be closely monitored and studied.”
The CWA said that the reservoir was built on hard rock using the highest earthquake resistance coefficient and should withstand earthquakes, adding that the Water Resource Agency has also inspected the reservoir and found no problems.
Even though the largest intensity generated by the first 5.7 earthquake was Level 4, it lasted one to two seconds, the CWA said.
The farther away from the epicenter, the lower the intensity of the quake, it said.
The CWA urged people to evacuate the area immediately and protect themselves when they receive an earthquake alert on their cellphones from the Public Warning System.
That alert means the earthquake is serious, it said.
“The principle of evacuation is to lower the center of gravity, seek cover, and protect the head and neck,” it said. “When indoors, use items and hands to protect your head and neck, and avoid taking refuge under hanging objects or near movable furniture. When outdoors, stay away from dangerous areas such as buildings, trees and bridges, and avoid moving at high speeds to avoid accidents caused by the shaking.”
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS