A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan’s eastern coast on Monday evening, followed by an aftershock of magnitude 5.1 on Tuesday. Experts say a large quake in the future could cause serious damage in Taipei, because the city lies in a basin.
Chandeliers were shaking crazily at this banquet hall when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit Taiwan on Tuesday. Central Weather Bureau seismologist Chiu Chun-ta says it was an aftershock to the earthquake on Monday which registered at 6.0 on the Richter scale.
National Central University Professor C.T. Lee says that subduction earthquakes caused by big tectonic plates colliding happen once every 100 years. Taiwan sits on the fault of two plates, the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Lee says it’s been 101 years since the last subduction quake in 1920. He says Taiwan should brace itself for a strong earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or above. Lee says it’s not Hualien but Taipei that people should be worried about.
However, Chiu says we cannot assume that big earthquakes will come in regular cycles. He says earthquakes take place everyday.
No matter how you view the likelihood of a big quake in the future, it’s always best to be prepared.