M4.6 Earthquake 23 km NW of Yujing, Taiwan — October 17, 2020
2020-10-17 15:03:13 UTC (2020-10-17) · approx. 11:03 PM UTC+8 local
Felt by 15 people across nearby locations.
On October 17, 2020 at 15:03 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 23 km NW of Yujing, Taiwan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 23.2676°, 120.2980°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Taiwan, a region characterized by the collision of the Luzon volcanic arc with the Eurasian continental margin, where the Philippine Sea Plate converges at 80 mm per year. View all earthquakes in Taiwan.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 15 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
120.2980°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Yujing, Taiwan?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck 23 km NW of Yujing, Taiwan on October 17, 2020 at 15:03 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 23.2676°, 120.2980°, which is 23 km NW of Yujing, Taiwan. View all earthquakes in Taiwan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Taiwan had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Taiwan was the M7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake of September 21, 1999. Today's magnitude 4.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000c903). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, October 17, 2020). M4.6 Earthquake 23 km NW of Yujing, Taiwan — October 17, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000c903/