TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck at 1:01 p.m. in eastern Taiwan's Hualien County, where an intensity level of 7 was felt, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
The epicenter of the temblor was 10.6 kilometers northwest of Hualien County Hall at a shallow depth of 18.8 kilometers.
The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, measured a 7 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale in Hualien County and a 5 Nantou County, Yilan County, Taichung City, and New Taipei City. An intensity level of 4 was recorded in Taoyuan City, Hsingchu County, Miaoli County, Changhua County, and Taipei City, while an intensity level of 3 was registered in Chiayi County, Hsinchu City, Yunlin County, Taitung County, Keelung City, and Chiayi City.
An intensity level of 2 was felt in Kaohsiung City, Tainan City, and Penghu County, while a lesser intensity level of 1 was felt in Pingtung County.
CWB map showing intensity of the quake felt in different parts of Taiwan.
Located along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Taiwan uses an intensity scale of 1 to 7, which gauges the degree to which a quake is felt in a specific location.
All MRT trains in Taipei have temporarily come to a halt as a safety precaution.
A magnitude 4.1 aftershock struck Hualien at 1:17 p.m., according to the CWB. The epicenter of the quake was 13.7 kilometers northwest of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 20.3 kilometers.
The second temblor generated an intensity level of 5 in Hualien County, a 3 in Nantou County, and a 2 in Taichung City and Yilan County.