Taiwan Earthquake Today

Where to check earthquakes in Taiwan

The Central Weather Administration, known until 2023 as the Central Weather Bureau, runs a dense seismic network across Taiwan and its surrounding waters. Within minutes of a felt earthquake it publishes a numbered earthquake report with the location, depth, local magnitude and the intensity recorded in each county and city. Its website and official app show these reports in English and Chinese, and they are widely relayed by Taiwanese media.

For an international perspective, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) report moderate and larger earthquakes near Taiwan. You can open the EQRadar live map of Taiwan to see USGS-reported events, look up older ones in the history view, and for larger events see the estimated shaking in the ShakeMap viewer. For evacuation and safety instructions, follow the CWA and local governments.

Reading a CWA report: magnitude vs intensity

CWA reports Intensity on a scale from 0 to 7, with levels 5 and 6 each split into weak and strong, for ten levels in total. Intensity describes how strongly the ground shook in a given place, so one earthquake has many intensities but only one Magnitude. A moderate earthquake directly beneath a city can produce higher intensity there than a larger, distant one.

CWA's headline magnitude is usually a local magnitude, while USGS usually reports moment magnitude. For large earthquakes the two can differ noticeably. In April 2024, for example, CWA reported the Hualien earthquake as about magnitude 7.2, while USGS reported about 7.4. Both describe the same event. Taiwan time is UTC+8, so an earthquake at 00:00 UTC happened at 08:00 in Taipei.

Why Taiwan has so many earthquakes

Taiwan sits where the Philippine Sea plate moves northwest against the Eurasian plate at several centimeters per year. The collision has pushed up Taiwan's Central Range. Around the island, the direction of Subduction flips: northeast of Taiwan, the Philippine Sea plate sinks beneath Eurasia along the Ryukyu Trench, while south of Taiwan, the Eurasian plate sinks eastward along the Manila Trench.

This setting produces earthquakes in several places. Offshore earthquakes east of Hualien and Yilan are frequent and often deep. On land, the Longitudinal Valley between the Central and Coastal ranges marks a major active plate-boundary Fault, and western Taiwan has many thrust faults beneath its plains and foothills, including the Chelungpu Fault that ruptured in 1999. The 3D depth explorer shows the sinking plates under the island's northeast and south.

Notable earthquakes in Taiwan

The September 21, 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, of about magnitude 7.6 to 7.7, ruptured the Chelungpu Fault for roughly 100 kilometers in central Taiwan. More than 2,400 people died, and the earthquake led to major changes in Taiwan's building codes and emergency planning. It is often called the 921 earthquake, after its date.

Early warnings and local hazards

CWA operates an earthquake early warning system that sends alerts to mobile phones and broadcast media when strong shaking is expected. The alert may arrive a few seconds to tens of seconds before shaking, depending on distance, and areas very close to the source may receive little or no warning. When an alert arrives, protect yourself immediately. The system detects earthquakes already under way; it does not predict them.

Taiwan's steep mountains make landslides and rockfalls a major danger, particularly in places such as the Taroko Gorge area after strong shaking or heavy rain. Coastal areas can be affected by tsunamis, and CWA issues tsunami information for Taiwan's coasts. Soft sediments in the Taipei Basin and western plains can amplify shaking, and loose, wet soils in some areas can experience Liquefaction.

If you felt an earthquake in Taiwan

Our article on what to do after an earthquake covers the next steps in more detail.

1. Drop, Cover and Hold On until the shaking stops. Do not run outside during shaking.
2. After shaking, check for gas leaks, fire and injuries, and leave buildings that look damaged.
3. Check the CWA earthquake report for intensity in your area and any tsunami information.
4. Avoid mountain roads and steep slopes after strong shaking; rockfalls can continue during aftershocks.
5. On the coast, move to high ground after strong or long shaking and follow local instructions.

Frequently asked questions