A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 5:06pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
The earthquake occurred offshore, 38.3km south-southeast of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 9km, CWA data showed.
The quake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, was highest in parts of Yilan County, where it measured a “weak 5” on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale.
Photo: Screen grab from the Central Weather Administration’s Web site
The temblor recorded an intensity of 4 in parts of Hualien, Taoyuan and New Taipei, and 3 in parts of Taichung, Nantou, Taipei, Hsinchu and Miaoli, CWA data showed.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The main earthquake and aftershocks were caused by the collisions of the Euroasian tectonic plate and the Philippine Sea plate, CWA Seismological Center director Wu Chien-fu (吳建富) said yesterday, adding that aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or larger could occur in the next few days.
Data from the center showed that three earthquakes had occurred consecutively since 5pm, with the first one being only 9km in depth, Wu said.
The earthquake was felt more intensely by residents in northern and central regions, as its epicenter was off the northeast coast, particularly those who were in tall buildings in Taipei at the time, he said.
“The earthquake was an independent event and was not an aftershock of the quake that struck off the coast of Hualien County on April 3, which had measured 7.2 on the Richter scale,” Wu said. “The epicenter was at areas where 70 percent of earthquakes in Taiwan occur. Since we have been having intense afternoon thundershowers recently, residents in mountainous areas need to be careful of landslides and mudflows in the next few days.”
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
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