1. MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TAIWAN (7:02 pm, October 31, 2013) Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA

2. LOCATION MAP

3. 7:02 PM, OCTOBER 31, 2013 At 7:02 pm, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred 45 km (28 miles) south- southwest of the coastal city of Hualian. The shallow depth of 12 km (7.5 mi) exacerbated the ground shaking. Buildings over a wide area, including Taipei, the capital city, were shaken.

4. EACH EARTHQUAKE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD TO THE “GLOBAL BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE” ON OCCURRENCES, CONSEQUENCES, AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MEASURES

5. A NOTE ON THE PAST A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed 2,416 people

6. M 7.6 Shallow depth (about 2 km) 1:47 am SEPTEMBER 21, 1999

7. JI JI, TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE BASED ON REPORTS BY USGS, EERI, ASCE/TCLEE, MCEER, TAIWAN AGENCIES, AND OTHERS

11. The 1999 Taiwan earthquake was a subduction zone earthquake caused by interaction of the Philippine plate with the Eurasian plate.

12. EARTHQUAKE FAULT The quake was generated by slip on the Chelongpu fault.

13. PHYSICAL EFFECTS: GROUND SHAKING Strong motion records showed that ground shaking was characterized by long-period energy related to the magnitude and local site conditions. It was several times greater than the level prescribed in the building code.

15. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS 44,338 buildings collapsed, and an additional 41,336 houses and buildings were severely damaged. Twenty 10- to 20-story residential buildings either collapsed or experienced significant damage, suggesting frequency-dependent site amplification.

16. Strong ground shaking from the main shock and its large aftershocks caused the collapse of a few mid-rise buildings in Taipei, the capital, which is located about 140 km north of the epicenter in a deep alluvial basin.

17. Strong ground shaking, ground failure, and surface fault rupture caused power outages and severe lifeline damage. Some examples of lifeline damage had not been observed in other earthquakes..

18. The loss of power had wide ranging effects, including disruption of Taiwan’s semi- conductor fabrication facilities.

19. The regional compression caused thrust faulting. Over 60 km of surface faulting with lateral and vertical displacements reaching 9 m and 5 m, respectively, occurred in the center of the Island.

20. Most of the bridges that suffered significant damage were located in the area bounded by two thrust faults that ruptured the surface.

22. Liquefaction caused damage in a residential neighborhood of Yuanlin located in Changhua County. Extensive liquefaction-induced damage was also observed in parts of Taichung Harbor.

23. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS The death toll reached 2,416. 11,446 were injured. Economic losses reached $9.2 billion. Short-term global stock market prices were influenced by impacts on the semi-conductor industry.