The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today warned of aftershocks measuring magnitude 5 or higher in southern Taiwan over the next three days, after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted Chiayi County early this morning.
The magnitude 6.4 earthquake, the epicenter of which was 37.9km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 9.7km, rocked Chiayi County at 12:17am, CWA data showed.
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Taipei Times
The quake's seismic intensity was highest in Dapu Township (大埔), measuring 6- on Taiwan's 7-tier scale.
Photo courtesy of the Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters
The earthquake also registered a seismic intensity level of 5- in Tainan and Kaohsiung.
The magnitude 6.4 earthquake — the strongest Dapu Township had experienced in 61 years — shook the ground for about 43 seconds, causing vibrations of level 2 or higher, CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said.
As of 11am, 55 aftershocks had been felt in southern Taiwan, mostly in Tainan's Nansi (楠西) and Nanhua (南化) districts, center data showed.
There were 14 measuring magnitude 4 or higher, with two aftershocks measuring 5 and 5.2.
The magnitude 6.4 earthquake originated in a location near where the Baihe earthquake struck Tainan in 1964, former center director Kuo Kai-wen (郭鎧紋) said.
The two seisms had similar geological structures, he added.
Kuo cautioned the public in Chiayi and Tainan to be careful of moderate-to-major earthquakes in the month ahead, as Taiwan had not experienced temblors of more than magnitude 6 for more than 150 days.
On average, Taiwan has a 1 percent chance of being hit by an earthquake of more than magnitude 6 on a daily basis, he said.
According to the center's records, various earthquakes with magnitudes measuring between 5 and 6 have shaken areas within a 30km radius around Dapu Township, including a magnitude 6.3 Baihe earthquake in 1964 and a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Chungpu (中埔) in 1941.
‘NEVER!’ Taiwan FactCheck Center said it had only received donations from the Open Society Foundations, which supports nonprofits that promote democratic values Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) has never received any donation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a cofounder of the organization wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. The Taipei-based organization was established in 2018 by Taiwan Media Watch Foundation and the Association of Quality Journalism to monitor and verify news and information accuracy. It was officially registered as a foundation in 2021. National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a cofounder and chairman of TFC, was responding to online rumors that the TFC receives funding from the US government’s humanitarian assistance agency via the Open Society Foundations (OSF),
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights