At 7:02 pm, 31 October 2013, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred 45 km (28 miles) south-southwest of the coastal city of Hualian. The shallow depth of 12 km (7.5 mi) exacerbated the ground shaking. Buildings over a wide area, including Taipei, the capital city, were shaken. A note from the past: A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed 2,416 people. Each earthquake is an opportunity to add to the “global book of knowledge” on occurrences, consequences, and disaster risk reduction measures

1. LOCATION MAP

2. MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE
STRIKES TAIWAN
(7:02 pm, October 31, 2013)

3. LOCATION MAP

4. 7:02 PM, OCTOBER 31, 2013
• At 7:02 pm, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake
occurred 45 km (28 miles) southsouthwest of the coastal city of
Hualian.
• The shallow depth of 12 km (7.5 mi)
exacerbated the ground shaking.
• Buildings over a wide area, including
Taipei, the capital city, were shaken.

5. EACH EARTHQUAKE IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO ADD TO
THE “GLOBAL BOOK OF
KNOWLEDGE” ON
OCCURRENCES,
CONSEQUENCES, AND
DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION MEASURES

6. A NOTE ON THE PAST
A magnitude 7.6
earthquake in central
Taiwan in 1999 killed
2,416 people

7. M 7.6
Shallow depth (about 2 km)
1:47 am
SEPTEMBER 21, 1999

8. JI JI, TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE
BASED ON REPORTS BY
USGS, EERI, ASCE/TCLEE, MCEER, TAI
WAN AGENCIES, AND OTHERS

12. • The 1999 Taiwan earthquake
was a subduction zone
earthquake caused by
interaction of the Philippine
plate with the Eurasian plate.

13. EARTHQUAKE FAULT
• The quake was generated by
slip on the Chelongpu fault.

14. PHYSICAL EFFECTS: GROUND
SHAKING
• Strong motion records showed that
ground shaking was characterized by
long-period energy related to the
magnitude and local site conditions.
• It was several times greater than the
level prescribed in the building code.

16. •
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
•
• 44,338 buildings collapsed, and an
additional 41,336 houses and
buildings were severely damaged.
• Twenty 10- to 20-story residential
buildings either collapsed or
experienced significant
damage, suggesting frequencydependent site amplification.

17. • Strong ground shaking from the
main shock and its large
aftershocks caused the collapse
of a few mid-rise buildings in
Taipei, the capital, which is located
about 140 km north of the
epicenter in a deep alluvial basin.

18. • Strong ground shaking, ground
failure, and surface fault rupture
caused power outages and
severe lifeline damage.
• Some examples of lifeline damage
had not been observed in other
earthquakes..

19. • The loss of power had wide
ranging effects, including
disruption of Taiwan’s semiconductor fabrication
facilities.

20. • The regional compression caused
thrust faulting.
• Over 60 km of surface faulting with
lateral and vertical displacements
reaching 9 m and 5
m, respectively, occurred in the
center of the Island.

21. • Most of the bridges that
suffered significant damage
were located in the area
bounded by two thrust faults
that ruptured the surface.

23. • Liquefaction caused damage in a
residential neighborhood of Yuanlin
located in Changhua County.
•Extensive liquefaction-induced
damage was also observed in parts
of Taichung Harbor.

24. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
• The death toll reached 2,416.
•11,446 were injured.
• Economic losses reached $9.2
billion.
• Short-term global stock market
prices were influenced by impacts on
the semi-conductor industry.