Plot of earthquake data (left) and the fault distribution in Taiwan
3D block diagram showing plate tectonic setting of Taiwan
Taiwan is in a seismically active zone, on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and at the western edge of the Philippine Sea Plate.[1] Geologists have identified 42 active faults on the island, but most of the earthquakes detected in Taiwan are due to the convergence of the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian Plate to the east of the island.[1][2] Most of the earthquakes registered in Taiwan actually occur off the east coast and cause little damage, whereas smaller quakes beneath the island itself have historically proven more destructive. The first recorded earthquake in Taiwan was in 1624, the founding year of Dutch Formosa.[3] Between 1901 and the year 2000 there were 91 major earthquakes in Taiwan, 48 of them resulting in loss of life.[4] The most recent major earthquake was the 2024 Hualien earthquake, and the most recent major earthquake with a high death toll was the 921 earthquake, which struck on 21 September 1999, and claimed 2,415 lives.
Many modern buildings in Taiwan are constructed with earthquake safety in mind, including Taipei 101, which had to cope with the dual challenges of being flexible enough to withstand earthquakes, yet rigid enough to resist wind shear. The High Speed Rail system incorporates an automatic safety device to safely bring all trains to a halt when a significant earthquake is detected.[5] Nevertheless, poor construction standards have been blamed for casualties in a number of major earthquakes, including the 1906 Meishan earthquake and the 1999 Jiji earthquake. Inside Taiwan the Central Weather Bureau is the organisation responsible for monitoring and reporting on earthquakes. Large earthquakes are also assessed by the United States Geological Survey. Scientific studies of the seismology of the island started in the Japanese era, when the first seismograph was installed in Taipei by Fusakichi Omori's company.[6]
^ abTaiwan Yearbook 2005, p. 23
^Yu, S.B.; Chen, H.Y.; Kuo, L.C. (1997). "Velocity field of GPS stations in the Taiwan area". Tectonophysics. 274 (1–3): 41–59. Bibcode:1997Tectp.274...41Y. doi:10.1016/S0040-1951(96)00297-1.
^二十世紀前 (1604–1900) 台灣地區的地震記載. Central Weather Bureau. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
^二十世紀 (1901–2000) 台灣地區災害性地震 (in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau. Archived from the original on 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
^"SHATTERED BELIEF: Biting the bullet". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
^Davidson, Charles (1927). The Founders of Seismology. p. 223.
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