Magnitude 4 aftershocks are possible over the next three days, after an earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale struck Tainan at 11:47am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
The epicenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall in Guantian District (官田) at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed.
The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, was highest in Tainan and Chiayi County, where it measured 4 on a seven-tier intensity scale, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
The earthquake was caused by the collision of the Eurasian and the Philippine Sea plates to the east of Taiwan, Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said.
As the depth of the earthquake was shallow, only a few aftershocks are expected, Wu said, adding that future aftershocks are likely to be about a magnitude 4.
After the earthquake, two high-speed rail trains were temporarily halted and inspected, while trains on the route between Dounan Station in Yunlin County and Gangshan Station in Kaohsiung operated at reduced speeds, the operator said.
A resident living on the seventh floor of a building in Tainan’s West Central District (中西) said that he was about to go out for dinner when the earthquake alarm suddenly sounded on his cell phone.
The building shook noticeably, but it only lasted for a few seconds and no items in the house fell or were damaged, he said.
Meanwhile, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake rattled Hualien County at 2:01am yesterday. The epicenter was 19.1km north from Hualien County Hall at a depth of 25.3km, CWA data showed.
The strongest tremors were felt in Hualien, Yilan and Nantou counties, where the intensity reached level 3.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but some residents in Hualien said the shaking woke them up and that memories of last year’s earthquake resurfaced.
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of one of the worst natural disasters in recent years — an earthquake measuring a 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Hualien on April 3 last year, killing 18 people and injuring more than 1,100.
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