Strong M6.1 earthquake hits near Yilan, Taiwan

yilan-earthquake-taiwan-december-10-2020

A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit near Yilan, Taiwan at 13:19 UTC on December 10, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 74.6 km (46 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.2 at a depth of 71 km (44 miles).

The epicenter was located 26.5 km (16.5 miles) E of Yilan (population 94 188), 50.2 km (31.2 miles) SSE of Keelung (population 397 515), and 58.9 km (36.6 miles) SE of Taipei (population 7 871 900), Taiwan.

There are 10 070 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles) and 888 000 within 50 km (31 miles).

3 373 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 13 933 000 moderate.

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google

The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are heavy wood frame and reinforced/confined masonry construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Selected cities exposed

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google

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