Feelings from the North and the Middle East! Earthquake measuring 5.6 off the coast of Yilan Meteorological Administration: Pay attention to aftershocks ranging from 4.5 to 5 in a week

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 occurred in the eastern waters of Taiwan at 16:20, with a maximum magnitude of 3. (Photo provided by Central Meteorological Administration)

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale occurred in the eastern sea at 4:20 this afternoon, with a maximum magnitude of 3. It was felt in the north, central and eastern parts of the country. The Central Meteorological Administration stated that this earthquake was a subduction type earthquake, which is deeper and more common. It reminded the public that aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.5 to 5 cannot be ruled out in the next week.

According to data from the Central Meteorological Administration, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the eastern waters of Taiwan at 16:20 today with a depth of 119.5 kilometers. The epicenter was located 39.4 kilometers northeast of the Yilan County Government. The maximum earthquake intensity measured in various places was 3, including Yilan County and Hualien County; 2 level areas included New Taipei City, Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Taichung City, Nantou County, Miaoli County, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County and Tainan City; 1 level areas included Keelung City, Taitung County and Chiayi City.

Lin Baiyou, technical director of the Earthquake Forecasting and Forecasting Center, said that at 4:20 this afternoon, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the sea east of Taiwan and Guishan Island in Yilan. The depth of the earthquake was 119.5 kilometers. The maximum earthquake intensity in Yilan Niudou was measured at magnitude 3 and lasted for 2 seconds. At 1:00 p.m., Hualien Xibao also had a magnitude 3 earthquake with a shaking time of about 1 second. Various places in the eastern region had earthquakes with magnitudes 1 to 3, and those to the north and north of Tainan had magnitudes 1 to 2. Therefore, the Meteorological Administration also issued a national warning for Yilan, which is closer to the epicenter.

Lin Baiyou explained that this earthquake was mainly a subduction-type earthquake that occurred when the Philippine Sea Plate was subducted into the Eurasian Plate. Therefore, the depth of this type of earthquake would be deeper, more than 100 kilometers. According to historical earthquake statistics, subduction-type earthquakes occur more frequently. Among these earthquakes, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurred on December 27 last year. The public is reminded that aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.5 to 5 will not be ruled out in the next week, so please pay more attention.