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 High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and