Magnitude 6.4 earthquake Struck Taiwan
Less than a week after the Chile earthquake, Taiwan was hit by 6.4 magnitude earthquake at 8:18 am local time followed by several aftershocks. Taiwan is hit by at least three quakes of over magnitude 6 every year. On December 2010, a 6.9 magnitude quake was recorded 21 kilometers from Hualien City. The quake was centered is the county of Kaohsiung and was at a depth of 3.1 miles or 5 kilometers. Kaohsiung is located 249 miles south of Taipei
According to Kuo Kai-wen, director of the Seismology Center of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, there is no geological connection between the Haiti and Chili earthquake and that there is nothing unusual with number of recent big quakes. People are just paying more attention to earthquake now because of what has happened to Haiti. The Activity is normal and is not so scary according to Mr. Kuo. In every 5 years, Taiwan is hit by a magnitude 7 or higher earthquake and a magnitude 6 or higher every 100 days.
The quake has caused power outages in Taipei while telephone service in some parts of Taiwan was affected. A train in southern Taiwan was slightly shifted off its tracks. Subway service in the city Kaohsiung was disrupted temporarily as well. 64 people were injured in the quake.
Taiwan, Chile and Haiti quakes are not within the same tectonic plates. In a year, there are around 17 magnitude 7 or higher quakes, around 170 to 180 earthquakes with a 6 magnitude or larger and at least one earthquake with a magnitude 8 or higher. Last year there were 16 earthquakes were recorded with a magnitude of 7 or higher.
So far this year, there has already been one earthquake with magnitude of 8 or higher. Chile was struck by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake only days before the Taiwan earthquake struck. The mainshock of the Chile Earthquake lasted for at least three minutes while the earthquake in Taiwan lasted for only a minute. Earthquakes are quite frequent in Taiwan. Majority caused minor or no damage at all. However, a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.
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