magnitude

Dec. 27 (UPI) — A 6.6-magnitude earthquake was recorded off Taiwan’s northeastern coast on Saturday night, but no injuries or significant damage were reported.

The earthquake struck offshore at 11:05 p.m. local time and was located 20 miles east of Yilan County Hall.

The epicenter was 45 miles beneath the Earth’s surface, which largely protected Taiwan against harm and helped to prevent a tsunami warning.

The earthquake was felt in 17 of Taiwan’s 22 counties, which created a seismic intensity of 4 on the island’s 7-point scale.

Six of Taiwan High Speed Rail’s trains temporarily stopped upon detecting seismic alerts near Nangang and Yunlin.

Metro rail services in Taipei and Taichung reduced their respective speeds for a short time before resuming normal speeds late Saturday night.

More than 3,000 homes in Yilan lost power for a short period, but it was restored.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the earthquake as magnitude 6.6, but Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration reported it as magnitude 7.0.

Taiwan is located in an active seismic zone and on Wednesday recorded a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that impacted the coastal county of Taitung in the southeastern part of the island.

That earthquake also shook buildings in the capital city of Taipei.

The weather administration said damage from the quake should be limited because it was deep and hit offshore.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Taiwan’s northeastern coastal city, the island’s weather administration said, with no immediate reports of major damage.

The quake with a depth of 73km (45 miles) was felt across Taiwan and shook buildings in the capital Taipei, the administration said on Saturday, assigning it an intensity-four category, meaning there could be minor damage.

Taipei city’s government said there was no major damage reported in the immediate aftermath, with some isolated cases of damage, including gas and water leakage and minor damage to buildings.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.6.

More than 3,000 homes in Yilan briefly lost power, the Taiwan Power Company said.

Major chipmaker TSMC said a small number of its facilities in the northern Hsinchu Science Park met evacuation thresholds after the quake, and evacuated staff had since returned to their posts.

The weather administration said people should be on alert for aftershocks of magnitude 5.5-6.0 in the coming day. It also said damage from the quake should be limited because it was relatively deep and hit offshore.

Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te said in a social media post that authorities had the situation under control and also urged the population to be on alert for aftershocks.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

In April 2024, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake killed 17 people as it triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around Hualien city.

Officials at the time said it was Taiwan’s strongest quake in 25 years.

More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a magnitude 7.3 quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.