Large aftershocks shake Hualien County in Taiwan weeks after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred

The earthquake that occurred on April 3 was the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than a thousand people. Wu said that more than 1,000 shocks had been recorded from then until Tuesday morning.

About half of the aftershocks, with a magnitude of 5 or more, occurred from Monday evening to Tuesday morning. Local media reported that the historic Fouquet Hotel and the previously damaged General's Building, a Japanese colonial building, had collapsed, but were empty. Schools and work were suspended in Hualien County on Tuesday.

Neighboring provinces, including Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Taichung, as well as the capital Taipei, also experienced shocks.

Wu said aftershocks could last for at least six months, and called on residents to better prepare for earthquakes. But he added that the strength of the shocks is likely to decrease, and their magnitude is unlikely to exceed 7 degrees.

“Based on the experience of the September 21 earthquake [in 1999]Wu, who did not rule out the possibility of its magnitude reaching 6 degrees, said, “Aftershocks are expected to last at least six months to a year.”

Aftershocks of this intensity reportedly continued for nearly a year following the devastating 1999 earthquake that killed more than 2,400 people and injured more than 11,300.

The Fouquet Hotel, already damaged by the devastating April 3 earthquake, collapsed when aftershocks struck Hualien County on Taiwan's east coast on Tuesday morning. Image: CNA

The intensity of aftershocks in theory should be lower than the main earthquake, but there have been exceptions — such as the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan in 2022 that was followed by a stronger 9.0 magnitude event, Wu said.

According to Wu, the aftershocks from the April 3 earthquake mainly occurred north of the epicenter and their number decreased over time, indicating that energy in the region had been gradually released.

With the completion of the energy release in the north, aftershock activity began to shift to the southern side of the quake zone, as evidenced by more than 180 aftershocks between Monday and Tuesday, Wu said.

“This is because relatively less energy is released in the south,” he said, adding that aftershocks of up to six magnitudes could occur in this part of the fault.

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As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, there had been more than 1,110 aftershocks since the April 3 earthquake in Hualien City, including four tremors with a magnitude between 6 and 7, according to administration statistics.

A total of 56 aftershocks with a magnitude between 5 and 6 were recorded, while 344 aftershocks with a magnitude between 4 and 5 were recorded. There were 706 earthquakes with magnitude between 3 and 4.

Wu called on the public to remain on high alert, warning that heavy rains expected over the next few days could cause mud or rock collapses in mountainous areas, after the shocks led to the disintegration of mountain soil and rocks.

02:05

A look back at the deadly earthquake that struck Taiwan in 1999

A look back at the deadly earthquake that struck Taiwan in 1999

Most of the aftershocks from the April 3 quake were originally centered offshore but gradually shifted to the coastal mountain fault system, said Li Chi-ti, a professor of applied geology at National Central University in Taoyuan, south of Taipei.

Many aftershocks tended to be shallow, with those after the April 3 quake ranging in depth from 5 to 15 kilometers (3.11 to 9.32 miles), meaning the tremors would be felt immediately, Lee said.

“The shallower the depth, the greater the impact,” he said, adding that this phenomenon explains why earthquakes appear much stronger to people in areas like Taipei.

But according to Li, earthquakes with a magnitude of about 5 are not expected to cause ground ruptures.

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