Aftershocks are possible in the coming days following a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Hualien County on Monday morning that was felt across Taiwan, according to a Central Weather Bureau (CWB) official.
Chen Kuo-chang (???), head of the CWB’s Seismological Center, said aftershocks of magnitude 5 or above could occur over the next two days, while shocks of magnitude 4 or above could occur in the next week.
According to the CWB, the epicenter of Monday’s 9:05 a.m. temblor was located in Guangfu Township, 37.7 kilometers south-southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a relatively shallow depth of 6.8 kilometers.
Although located within Taiwan’s East Rift Valley fault zone, the quake occurred along the upper part of the Guangfu fault, where only two magnitude 6-plus earthquakes have been recorded since 1990, Chen said.
This inactivity would have allowed for the buildup of energy, likely contributing to the strength and duration of Monday’s quake, which measured a weak-5 in Hualien on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, he said.
Chen added that the CWB is still investigating whether the earthquake was directly related to the Guangfu Fault, which is not listed as one of Taiwan’s 36 active fault lines.
So far this year, Taiwan has recorded six earthquakes with magnitudes of 6 or above, putting it well above the average of two or three per year, according to Chen.
Of those, two were determined to be aftershocks of the magnitude 6.7 earthquake that occurred off the coast of Hualien on March 23, he said.
Taiwan recorded a record of 13 magnitude 6-plus earthquakes in 1999, many following in the wake of the deadly magnitude 7.7 quake that struck the country on Sept. 21, he added.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel