Taiwan Earthquake

Taiwan Earthquake

News: In Taiwan, on Wednesday (April 4) morning, the island experienced its most significant earthquake in at least 25 years, resulting in nine fatalities and over 800 injuries. The earthquake was reported with varying magnitudes by different monitoring agencies. Taiwans earthquake monitoring agency recorded it as a 7.2 magnitude event, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) measured it as a 7.4 magnitude quake.

About Taiwan Earthquake:
• Taiwan is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where approximately 90% of the worlds earthquakes occur.
• The epicenter of the recent earthquake was located just 18 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan.
• Following the main quake, multiple aftershocks were experienced, including one 
measuring 6.5 magnitude, as reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
• The island and its surrounding waters have encountered approximately 2,000 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or higher since 1980, along with over 100 earthquakes exceeding a magnitude of 5.5, according to data from the USGS as cited by The Associated Press.

About Ring of Fire:
✓ The Ring of Fire is a horseshoeshaped region along the Pacific Ocean, spanning approximately 40,250 kilometers.
✓ It comprises hundreds of volcanoes and earthquakeprone sites and is formed by the meeting points of multiple tectonic plates.
✓ Various tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca,m Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, and Philippine plates, encircle the large Pacific Plate.
• Factors Contributing to Earthquakes in the Ring of Fire:
o The Ring of Fire witnesses’ numerous earthquakes due to the constant interactions of tectonic plates.
o Earthquakes occur as plates slide past, collide into, or move above or below each other, causing friction along the edges.
o When the edges of the plates become stuck due to roughness, an earthquake occurs when they suddenly unstick on one of the faults.
o Taiwan, situated within the Ring of Fire, experiences earthquakes due to the interactions between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
• Formation of Volcanoes in the Ring of Fire:
o Many of the volcanoes in the Ring of Fire are formed through a process called subduction, where two plates collide, and the heavier plate is pushed beneath the other, creating a trench.
o Subduction zones in the Ring of Fire lead to the production of magma when the down going oceanic plate is shoved into a hotter mantle plate.
o The magma rises through the overlying plate and erupts at the surface, forming volcanoes.
o Most of the worlds subduction zones, which produce volcanoes, are located in the Ring of Fire, contributing to its high volcanic activity.