The Central Weather Bureau has announced a modified intensity scale to better reflect the effect earthquakes have on people, structures and the environment, thereby facilitating disaster response efforts by government agencies.
The new earthquake intensity scale, to be introduced on Jan. 1, has 10 levels compared with the current eight-level scale, which has been in effect since 2000, Seismological Center Director Chen Kuo-chang (陳國昌) said.
Intensity measures the amount of shaking at a particular location and should not be confused with magnitude, which measures the size of an earthquake at its source, according to the US Geological Survey’s Web site.
The bureau’s intensity scale is computed based solely on peak ground acceleration and is graded 0 to 7, with 7 being the strongest intensity. In contrast, the new scale is calculated based on a more comprehensive formula that also uses peak ground velocity beginning at intensity 5, the level at which damage to structures is likely to occur.
While intensity 7 is also its highest level, the new scale subdivides 5 into 5-moderate and 5-strong, and 6 into 6-moderate and 6-strong.
“We have kept intensity 7 as the highest level on the new scale so that laws and regulations would not be greatly affected,” Chen said.
The new scale is the result of a study of 1,370 earthquakes from 2009 to last year, he said.
Using the new formula, only 10 (less than 1 percent) of the 1,370 earthquakes studied were considered intensity 5 and above, while 194 (14 percent) of the earthquakes had the same intensity as the old scale, he added.
The new formula filters out earthquakes that are not that strong in terms of intensity, while more effectively correlating areas with higher potential damage to the scale, allowing the government to better respond to the quake, Chen said.
Based on the new formula, intensity 5-moderate earthquakes are characterized by difficulty walking and bricks falling from some structures, while in intensity 5-strong earthquakes, panic is widespread and some brick walls may collapse.
In intensity 6-moderate earthquakes, people have difficulty standing, weaker houses can collapse, cracks can appear in roads and there are likely to be landslides in mountainous areas.
In intensity 6-strong earthquakes, stronger buildings are likely to be damaged.
In intensity 7 earthquakes, people are unable to move at will due to violent shaking, stronger buildings could collapse and railroad tracks become twisted.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
RSS