M4.9 Earthquake near Taiwan — December 10, 2020
2020-12-10 05:29:38 UTC (2020-12-10) · approx. 1:29 PM UTC+8 local
Felt by 21 people across nearby locations.
On December 10, 2020 at 05:29 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Taiwan, at a depth of 36.5 km and coordinates 23.4151°, 121.5477°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — 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 21 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
121.5477°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Taiwan?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck near Taiwan on December 10, 2020 at 05:29 UTC had a depth of 36.5 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 23.4151°, 121.5477°, which is near Taiwan. View all earthquakes in Taiwan.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 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 4.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000cpny). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, December 10, 2020). M4.9 Earthquake near Taiwan — December 10, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000cpny/