5.3 earthquake takes place near Hualien Taiwan

Posted by Dave Landis on February 2nd, 2011 in China | No Comments

A 5.3 quake took place off the coast of Hualien County, Taiwan

On Tuesday at 4:16 pm Beijing Time, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale took place off the coast of Hualien County in Taiwan .  Hualien County is located on the east coast of Taiwan.

The US Geological Survey (USGS)  and Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau reported that the earthquake’s epicenter was  30 km north of Hualien County, or 100km southeast of Taipei City.  The Central Weather Bureau’s  initial assessment put the quake at a 6.1 magnitude, but it was later down scaled  to magnitude 5.5.

The USGS measured it at magnitude 5.2.   The temblor occurred at a depth of 17.6 km.

Four aftershocks were reported, to the northeast and north of Hualien,  measuring 3 to 4 on the Richter Scale.

No damage was reported, but the quake was felt as far away at Taipei.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in Taiwan and are for the most part minor, causing  little or no damage.

However, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.