2010 Kaohsiung earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Kaohsiung Earthquake measuring 6.4 ML
occurred on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 8:20 a.m. local time. The epicenter
was located in the mountainous area of Kaohsiung County
(now part of Kaohsiung City) of the southwestern Taiwan
. It was the most powerful earthquake in Kaohsiung since 1900. The earthquake did not cause any deaths, but 96 people were injured.
was blocked since it sunk after the quake. Some trains of THSR
were disrupted, and one was de-railed while in an emergency braking. 340 buildings of several schools had damaged by the quake. A religious building and some old structures collapsed.
A fire occurred at a factory of the Everest Textile Co., Ltd (宏遠興業) in Tainan County
(now part of Tainan City). The company lost more than 100 million NTD
from this fire. The quake also caused around 1 billion NTD in losses to several manufacturers in a high-tech industrial park.
s; the largest had a magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter scale on April 25.
.
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
occurred on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 8:20 a.m. local time. The epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was located in the mountainous area of Kaohsiung County
Kaohsiung County
Kaohsiung County was a county in southern Taiwan that enclosed but did not include Kaohsiung City. On December 25, 2010, the county merged with Kaohsiung City to form a single special municipality.- Administration :-External links:*...
(now part of Kaohsiung City) of the southwestern Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It was the most powerful earthquake in Kaohsiung since 1900. The earthquake did not cause any deaths, but 96 people were injured.
Damage
545,066 houses on the island suffered a power outage. A bridge which connects Kaohsiung and PingtungPingtung County
Pingtung County is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of the Republic of China . The oldest national park in Taiwan, Kenting National Park, was established in Pingtung County in 1984...
was blocked since it sunk after the quake. Some trains of THSR
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately along the west coast of the Republic of China from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung...
were disrupted, and one was de-railed while in an emergency braking. 340 buildings of several schools had damaged by the quake. A religious building and some old structures collapsed.
A fire occurred at a factory of the Everest Textile Co., Ltd (宏遠興業) in Tainan County
Tainan County
Tainan County was located in southern Taiwan. The name "Tainan" means "Southern Taiwan". Formerly a county of the Republic of China , Tainan County was merged with Tainan City at the end of 2010 to form a single special municipality....
(now part of Tainan City). The company lost more than 100 million NTD
New Taiwan dollar
The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
from this fire. The quake also caused around 1 billion NTD in losses to several manufacturers in a high-tech industrial park.
Aftershocks
The earthquake was followed by several aftershockAftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
s; the largest had a magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter scale on April 25.
Government response
While the government continues to monitor the situation, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense dispatched troops to JiaxianJiaxian, Kaohsiung
Jiaxian is a rural district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Located far from the coast, the township is regarded as a gateway to Taiwan's Central Mountain Range....
.