TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Magnitude 5.5 and 5.3 earthquakes struck east Taiwan in quick succession on Monday (April 22) afternoon and were followed by two magnitude 4.9 tremors, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
The CWA said that the first quake hit at 5:08 p.m. with an epicenter 26.8 km south-southwest of Hualien County Hall at a focal depth of 10 km. Taiwan uses an intensity scale of 1 to 7, which gauges the degree to which a quake is felt at a specific location.
The quake’s intensity registered a 4 in Hualien County and Nantou County. An intensity level of 3 was recorded in Taichung and Yilan County.
An intensity level of 2 was reported in Taitung County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Changhua County, Miaoli County, Taoyuan, Chiayi, Hsinchu County, Tainan, New Taipei, and Taipei. An intensity level of 1 was measured in Kaohsiung, Hsinchu, and Keelung.
At 5:09 p.m., a minor tremor registering a magnitude 4.4 was measured 27.6 km south-southwest of Hualien County Hall at a focal depth of 9.5 km. An intensity level of 4 was measured in Hualien County and an intensity level of 1 was felt in Nantou County.
At 5:12 p.m., a magnitude 5.3 temblor jolted an area 22.9 km south-southwest of Hualien County Hall at a shallow focal depth of 10 km.
The quake’s intensity registered a 4 in Hualien County and 3 in Nantou County. An intensity level of 2 was recorded in Taichung, Yilan County, Yunlin County, Changhua County, Chiayi, and Tainan.
An intensity level of 1 was reported in Taitung County, Miaoli County, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu, New Taipei, and Kaohsiung.
Two temblors measuring magnitude 4.9 struck in the same area at 5:15 p.m. and 5:17, respectively p.m. In both cases, the maximum intensity was a level 4 felt in Hualien County.
No injuries or damage from any of the quakes had been reported at the time of publication.
Aftershocks have continued in Hualien since a massive magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the area on April 3.
