The Central Geological Survey on Friday updated its database of areas that are prone to soil liquefaction, adding five counties and cities in central and southern Taiwan.
The new additions are Taichung and Chiayi City and Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi counties.
The database showed that a power plant run by Formosa Plastics Group in Yunlin’s Mailiao Township (麥寮) and the Yunlin high-speed rail station are both in areas that are highly vulnerable to soil liquefaction.
Soil liquefaction occurs when shaking during an earthquake causes saturated granular material to behave like a liquid, which can result in serious damage to buildings on such sites.
Many areas in Changhua, Yunlin and Chiayi are at high risk of soil liquefaction, because they are mostly made up of coastal alluvium, although public construction projects in those areas took the risk into consideration and adopted proper preventive measures, the agency said.
Soil liquefaction occurs only when multiple conditions are met, the agency said, urging the public not to panic.
The database, which was launched on March 14, initially included only Taipei, New Taipei City, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu City, as well as Yilan, Hsinchu and Pingtung counties.
Different colors are used to represent different levels of vulnerability, with green representing low vulnerability, yellow medium vulnerability and red high vulnerability.
The public can access the database (www.moeacgs.gov.tw/2016.htm) via computer or smartphone to check if their homes are in soil liquefaction-prone areas by typing in their address.
A national map of areas prone to soil liquefaction is expected to be completed by 2018, the agency said.
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