A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck far off the east coast at 7:05am on Tuesday, and was felt across the country, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The epicenter of the temblor was located at sea, about 120.2km east of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 5.7km, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the CWA
The earthquake's intensity, which gauges its actual effect, was highest in Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Chiayi, Yunlin and Changhua counties and New Taipei City, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale, it said.
The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Taichung, Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Nantou, Miaoli and Taitung counties, the CWA said.
As the epicenter was far from Taiwan, the intensity was limited, CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said.
Additional shocks of magnitude 5.5 to 6 are possible in the coming five days, he added.
There are typically two to three quakes of magnitude 6 or above detected in the nation’s monitoring zone every year, Wu said, adding that Tuesday morning’s was the first for this year.
However, about 24 of greater than magnitude 5 occur on average, and this year has already seen 25, he added.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated