Taiwan Earthquake 6.6 Magnitude Is Second In Four Days

On Thursday a strong earthquake hit eastern Taiwan, shaking the country over a wide area including the capital, Taipei, where buildings swayed for more than 10 seconds, and startled residents ran for cover. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said this Taiwan earthquake had a magnitude 6.6 on the Richter Scale and struck in the evening. It’s center was in a remote mountainous area 28 miles south-southwest of the coastal city of Hualian at a depth of just 5.8 miles.

Local TV channels reported that there appeared to be almost no damage in Hualian. However, it usually takes time for the full impact of the quake to be evaluated because the epicenter was in a remote place.

Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage. Indeed, this is the second earthquake to hit Taiwan in just four days.

This is an extract from the daily update of earthquakes reported by the U.S. Geological Survey:

Taiwan – Recent Earthquakes
earthquake.usgs.gov
1
Magnitude 6.3, 45km SSW of Hualian, Taiwan
Depth 12 km, Thu Oct 31 05:02am PDT
2
Magnitude 4.5, 18km SSE of Hualian, Taiwan
Depth 47.08 km, Sun Oct 27 01:27am PDT

However, sometimes the Taiwan earthquakes are much more serious. In 1999 a magnitude-7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan killed more than 2,300 people.