TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A series of eight earthquakes that began late Friday (April 12) and continued through the early morning hours on Saturday (April 13) occurred in Taiwan’s Chiayi County, which sits on the opposite side of Taiwan as the April 3 earthquake. 

The quakes were all relatively shallow, originating from a depth of between 9.6 and 11.7 kilometers. The largest of the quakes occurred at 2:44 a.m. measuring 4.9 magnitude, with the epicenter located in Budai Township, per CWA. 

In the week following Taiwan’s 7.2 magnitude quake on April 3, communities throughout Taiwan have remained on edge as aftershocks continue to be felt. 

While Chiayi typically experiences shockwaves from earthquakes that originate along the east coast of Hualien County, it is relatively rare for the epicenter of earthquakes to be located on the opposite side of Taiwan. 

Geologists explained the epicenters of Chiayi’s quakes, dispersed between Budai Township on the west coast and Yizhu township about 12 km inland, do not lie along the same fault line as the April 3 quake that struck Hualien, per UDN. 

Rather, Chiayi’s quakes represent a separate fracture zone that is settling into place as a result of the much larger shift that occurred deeper in the earth to the east on April 3. The shallow depth of the earthquakes and their rapid occurrence are a good indication that pressure in the Earth’s upper crust is being released steadily, rather than building toward a larger quake. 

However, the CWA warned that people should remain vigilant, as there is no way to be certain when the frequency of earthquakes will decrease.