Very strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits near the coast of Taiwan
Image credit: TW/SAM
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit near the eastern coast of Taiwan at 17:41 UTC on March 22, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting it as M6.7 at a depth of 30 km (18 miles).
The epicenter was located about 71 km (44 miles) S of Hualien City (population 350 468), and 119 km (74 miles) SE of Zhongxing New Village (population 25 549), Taiwan.
2 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 98 000 strong, and 1 785 000 light.
Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake, NWS PTWC said.
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 a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are unknown/miscellaneous types and heavy wood frame 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
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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