The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau reported a Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake at a depth of 20.0 km 30.8 km off the southeast coast of Taiwan slightly after 11.50 pm local time (slightly after 3.50 pm GMT) on Thursday 6 October 2016. There have been no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, but people have reported feeling the event across Taiwan, as well as in Fujian Province, China.
The approximate location of the 6 October 2016 Taiwan Earthquake. Google.
Taiwan has a complex tectonic setting, lying on the boundary between the
Eurasian and Philippine Plates, with the Eurasian Plate being subducted
beneath the Philippine Plate in the South and the Philippine Plate
being subducted beneath the Eurasian in the East. Subduction is not a
smooth process even in simple settings, with plates typically sticking
together as pressure from tectonic expansion elsewhere builds up, then
suddenly breaking apart and shifting abruptly, causing Earthquakes.
The motion of the tectonic plates beneath Taiwan. The University of Memphis.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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