A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County early Monday morning. According to Central Weather Administration (CWA) Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富), the event is unrelated to the Meishan Faults and the possibility of aftershocks is therefore low.
The quake occurred at 3:51 a.m. at a depth of 12.3 km with its epicenter 41.8 km northeast of Meishan township. A maximum magnitude of 4 was recorded in Chiayi City and throughout Chiayi, Yunlin, and Nantou counties.
Wu said the earthquake was most likely related to the interaction between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which collide along the southeastern part of Taiwan. He explained that the majority of earthquakes resulting from accumulated energy along the fault occur in the east, with the ones in the west posing a greater threat due to the denser population in the area.
Kuo Kai-wen (郭鎧紋), who previously held Wu’s position as director at the Seismological Center, affirmed that Monday morning’s earthquake happened too far from the Meishan and Dajianshan Faults to have a direct connection.