The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday cautioned the public on possible earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more on the Richter scale this week in Chiayi County after a spate of magnitude 4.5 earthquakes and above rocked the county.
A total of eight tremors of magnitude 4.5 or higher were felt in the county’s Jhongpu Township (中埔) yesterday, with the largest — a magnitude 4.9 tremor — occurring at 2:56pm, the CWA said.
“Three of the quakes were significantly felt. They measured 4.8, 4.5, and 4.9 in magnitude, respectively,” Lin Tzu-wei (林祖慰), a specialist at the bureau’s seismological center, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
“The largest of those three occurred at a depth of 5km. The other five tremors were smaller in scope, ranging from magnitude 3.1 to 3.8,” he added.
The earthquakes occurred due to the collision and extrusion of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, he said. As the two plates collided, energy was transferred toward the western half of Taiwan proper, he said.
“This interaction is causing ruptures in vulnerable areas and releasing energy,” he added.
Photo: Screen grab from the Central Weather Administration’s Web site
“Right now we are expecting that an earthquake with a magnitude of 4 or above would occur in the coming week,” he said.
However, “it is still unclear whether that would be of a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale or above,” he added.
The epicenter of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the county in 1941 was only slightly above that of yesterday’s earthquake.
Some experts had previously issued warnings, saying that since there has been no large-scale earthquake in the area for more than 70 years, a major earthquake is due there.
However, as the technology is still unable to accurately predict earthquakes, the public should exercise earthquake preparedness, he said.
Meanwhile, the CWA said yesterday that Tropical Storm Kong-Rey would pass by Taiwan closer than previously forecast.
As the high pressure lingering over the Pacific has not weakened, Kong-Rey is expected to veer northward from today, moving toward the waters off Taiwan’s northeast coast before heading to the north and northeast of the country, CWA forecaster Chang Cheng-chuan (張承傳) said.
The storm is still gaining momentum and could become a typhoon, he said, adding that sea and land warnings could be issued as it gets closer to Taiwan.
The storm is expected to be strongest on Thursday and Friday, bringing extremely heavy rain to some parts of Taiwan’s north and northeast before it moves away from the nation on Saturday.
Additional reporting by CNA
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