In the early hours of today (April 27), a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Hualien in Taiwan, with tremors felt across the entire island. The Central Weather Bureau stated that this earthquake is still considered an aftershock of the 403 earthquake. Given the significant scale of the 403 earthquake, the seismic sequence will undergo stress adjustments, with energy now being released further north.
According to the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau, at 2:49 AM today, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred with a depth of 18.9 kilometers. The epicenter was located 29.9 kilometers north-northeast of the Hualien County Government (in Xiu Lin Township, Hualien County), with the highest intensity reaching level 4 in Hualien County, Yilan County, Nantou County, Taichung City, and Hsinchu County.
Further information released by the Central Weather Bureau indicated that at 2:21 AM today, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurred with the highest intensity reaching level 4 in Hualien, Yilan, Nantou, Taichung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and New Taipei City. A national-level alert was issued for 13 counties and cities including Taipei City and New Taipei City.
During a press conference held by the Central Weather Bureau today, Director of the Earthquake Monitoring Center, Wu Jianfu, explained that Taiwan is situated in an active tectonic region. In the east, the Philippine Sea Plate subducts northward under the Eurasian Plate, while in the south, it is the Eurasian Plate that subducts, causing a complex intersection leading to numerous earthquakes in Taiwan.
Wu Jianfu emphasized that the series of earthquakes early this morning, considering their depth, location, and subsequent sequence, are still categorized as aftershocks of the 0403 Hualien earthquake. Given the considerable scale of the 0403 earthquake, the seismic sequence is still undergoing stress adjustments, now shifting towards the north for energy release, which will gradually reach equilibrium in the future.