A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan at 7:05 a.m. Tuesday morning. The quake occurred with its epicenter located 120 kilometers east of Hualien City and had a depth of only 5.7 kilometers.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) reported that seven cities and counties including Yilan and Hualien, experienced shaking of a magnitude 3 or higher. The quake was triggered by the collision of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
The quake was the largest to hit Taiwan this year according to CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富). He says that based on a 10-year average, there are two or three earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater occurring each year and this is the first one of the year.
Wu says that the energy from an earthquake cannot be released all at once and that aftershocks with a 5.5 to 6.0 magnitude should be expected in the next five days. Given that the epicenter of the quake is relatively far from land, the aftershocks will be less felt and will have a limited impact on Taiwan.