Residents living in the north and northeast should be well-prepared for powerful aftershocks, that could exceed five on the Richter scale, Central Weather Bureau seismologists said yesterday.
"In the following two weeks, some strong aftershocks of the earthquake will strike Taiwan," said Kuo Kai-wen (
"People should secure shop signs [and other large objects] and stay calm," Kuo said.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Yesterday's tremor, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck the island at 2:52pm, making it the strongest earthquake in the past 20 months. It was the strongest since a quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck on July 16 in 2000.
Since the devastating 921 earthquake, which registered 7.3 on the Richter scale and claimed more than 2,400 lives, seismologists have reminded the public that minor earthquakes in Taiwan are a relatively common occurrence.
Yesterday, seismologists said that the earthquake resulted from a collision between the Philippine and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are in continuous motion relative to each other.
The greatest intensity of the quake was measured at Nanau (南澳) of Ilan, as six on Taiwan's unique scale of tremor-intensity measurement -- which classifies tremor-intensity into seven categories.
In Taipei, roughly 100km away from the epicenter, the intensity was measured as five, which is the same as that in Hualien. The epicenter was 44.3km east of the bureau's Hsioulin seismic monitoring station in Hualien County.
Seismologists said that a basin effect could explain why an earthquake occurring in Hualien could create such an impact in Taipei.
"The intensity of seismic waves was magnified when entering Taipei Basin, which is composed of soft sediment," said Chen Kuo-chang (
Chen said that a similar earthquake occurred near Hualien in November of 1986, leading to 13 deaths and 45 casualties in Taipei.
Another earthquake, registering 4.9 on the Richter scale, occurred at 4:02pm in Ilan yesterday. The epicenter was 16.7km east of the bureau's Nanau seismic monitoring station in Ilan County.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS