# Taiwan Earthquake Today: Live Map and Latest Quakes

Updated 11:27 UTC, 29 Oct 2026. Canonical: https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/taiwan

USGS listed **0 earthquakes** of magnitude 2.5 or more in and around Taiwan in the past 24 hours, 2 in the past 7 days and 6 in the past 30 days. The strongest of the past 30 days was an **M5.5** quake (75 km S of Yonakuni, Japan) on 30 Sep 2026. In an average year this area has about 64 quakes of M4.5+ (USGS, 1996-2025); the past 12 months had 41, about 36% fewer than the 30-year average.

## Key numbers

- Earthquakes, past 24 h (M2.5+): **0**
- Past 7 days: **2**
- Past 30 days: **6**
- Strongest, past 30 days: **M5.5** (2026-09-30)

## Latest earthquakes in and around Taiwan (M2.5+)

- [LOW] [M4.9 · 40 km ESE of Hualien City, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4gs) (2026-10-23 20:58 UTC, 6d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.9 · 35 km ESE of Hualien City, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u4gm) (2026-10-23 20:48 UTC, 6d ago, 14 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.3 · 30 km S of Yilan, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u2xx) (2026-10-17 03:13 UTC, 12d ago, 70 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.0 · 81 km S of Yonakuni, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tyjm) (2026-09-30 12:02 UTC, 29d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.5 · 63 km S of Yonakuni, Japan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000u0sh) (2026-09-30 10:37 UTC, 29d ago, 33 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.5 · 75 km S of Yonakuni, Japan](https://monitorworld.app/earthquake/2026-09-30-m5-5-yonakuni-japan) (2026-09-30 05:00 UTC, 29d ago, 10 km deep, quake page)

## Strongest earthquakes in and around Taiwan, past 12 months

- [HIGH] [M6.6 · 29 km ESE of Yilan, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000rl2n) (2025-12-27 15:05 UTC, 306d ago, 63 km deep, USGS)
- [HIGH] [M6.0 · 2025 Taitung, Taiwan Earthquake](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000rkjm) (2025-12-24 09:47 UTC, 309d ago, 8 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.8 · 32 km ENE of Yilan, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000shjp) (2026-05-01 12:39 UTC, 181d ago, 103 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.5 · 75 km S of Yonakuni, Japan](https://monitorworld.app/earthquake/2026-09-30-m5-5-yonakuni-japan) (2026-09-30 05:00 UTC, 29d ago, 10 km deep, quake page)
- [MED] [M5.5 · 114 km NE of Hengchun, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tnbm) (2026-08-25 07:00 UTC, 65d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.2 · 4 km NNE of Hualien City, Taiwan](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000smlu) (2026-04-04 17:14 UTC, 208d ago, 37 km deep, USGS)

## Key context

### What is normal in and around Taiwan

Over the 30 years 1996-2025, USGS recorded 1,908 earthquakes of M4.5 or more in and around Taiwan: about 64 a year, or 5.3 a month. The past 12 months had 41, about 36% fewer than the 30-year average. Quakes of M6 or more average 1.9 a year here (58 in 30 years), and 2 of them happened in the past 12 months.

Busy years usually mean one large quake and its aftershocks: the peak year here was 2024 with 227. Counts cover Taiwan and the seas around it, including offshore Hualien and Yilan. They come from the USGS ComCat catalog, which records small quakes more completely in the US than elsewhere, so compare like with like.

| Magnitude | 30-year total | Average per year | Past 12 months |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M4.5+ | 1,908 | 64 | 41 |
| M5+ | 509 | 17 | 10 |
| M6+ | 58 | 1.9 | 2 |
| M7+ | 4 | 0.1 | none |

### Largest earthquakes recorded in and around Taiwan

USGS catalog since 1900, M6.5+, inside the same area. Names as listed by USGS.

| Magnitude | Place (USGS) | Date | Depth |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M8.2 | 1920 Hualien, Taiwan Earthquake | 1920-06-05 | 20 km |
| M7.8 | Taiwan | 1951-11-24 | 30 km |
| M7.7 | 50 km SSE of Yilan, Taiwan | 1922-09-01 | 20 km |
| M7.7 | 21 km S of Puli, Taiwan | 1999-09-20 | 33 km |
| M7.5 | 58 km SSW of Hualien City, Taiwan | 1951-10-21 | 25 km |
| M7.5 | 38 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan | 1966-03-12 | 25 km |
| M7.4 | 122 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan | 1919-12-20 | 20 km |
| M7.4 | 85 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan | 1978-07-23 | 17 km |

### Plates and faults

Taiwan exists because the Philippine Sea Plate is colliding with the edge of the Eurasian Plate at about 8 cm per year, one of the fastest collisions on Earth. Off the north-east coast the Philippine Sea Plate dives under the Ryukyu arc, and off the south the Eurasian Plate dives east along the Manila Trench.

The east coast around Hualien and Taitung, along the Longitudinal Valley, is the most active part of the island; the M7.4 Hualien quake of 3 April 2024 was the strongest in Taiwan in 25 years. The deadliest recent quake, Chi-Chi in 1999 (M7.7), broke a thrust fault in central Taiwan.

- Longitudinal Valley Fault (Hualien to Taitung)
- Ryukyu subduction zone (off Yilan and Hualien)
- Chelungpu Fault (central Taiwan, 1999 Chi-Chi)
- Western foothills thrust belt
- Manila Trench (south-west of Taiwan)

### Where the recent quakes were

Of the 6 quakes of the past 30 days, 5 were shallow (less than 70 km deep), 1 intermediate (70-300 km) and 0 deep (more than 300 km). 6 reached M4 or more. The places USGS named most often were Yonakuni, Japan (3), Hualien City, Taiwan (2), Yilan, Taiwan (1).

### Official sources and warnings

- [Central Weather Administration (CWA)](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/eng/): Taiwan's official quake reports, intensity maps and early warnings, sent to phones by cell broadcast.

### What to do in an earthquake

If you feel shaking: **Drop, Cover and Hold On** until it stops. Stay away from windows and heavy furniture, and do not run outside during the shaking. On a coast, strong or long shaking is a natural tsunami warning: move to high ground or inland at once, on foot if you can. Then follow your local officials; this page is not a warning service.

In Taiwan, Drop, Cover and Hold On when the CWA alert sounds. On the coast, move to high ground after strong or long shaking.

## FAQ

### Was there an earthquake in and around Taiwan today?

USGS listed no quake of M2.5+ in and around Taiwan in the past 24 hours (as of 11:27 UTC). Smaller quakes may still appear on Central Weather Administration (CWA).

### How many earthquakes does Taiwan have per year?

From 1996 to 2025, USGS recorded about 64 quakes of M4.5+, about 17 quakes of M5+, about 1.9 quakes of M6+, about 0.1 quakes of M7+ per year in and around Taiwan. Counting all sizes, local networks record far more, because most quakes are too small to feel.

### What was the biggest earthquake in and around Taiwan?

The largest quake in the USGS catalog for this area since 1900 is the M8.2 1920 Hualien, Taiwan Earthquake of 5 Jun 1920. The table above lists the largest 8.

### Where can I get official earthquake alerts for Taiwan?

[Central Weather Administration (CWA)](https://www.cwa.gov.tw/eng/): Taiwan's official quake reports, intensity maps and early warnings, sent to phones by cell broadcast.

### What intensity scale does Taiwan use?

Since 2020 CWA uses a 10-level intensity scale from 0 to 7, with levels 5 and 6 split into weak and strong (5-, 5+, 6-, 6+), similar to Japan's shindo. Intensity is the shaking at a place; magnitude is the size of the quake.

### Why do Taiwan and USGS give different magnitudes?

CWA usually reports local magnitude (ML) within minutes; USGS reports moment magnitude (Mww) after more analysis. For the same quake the two can differ by a few tenths. For official intensity and warnings in Taiwan, follow CWA.

### Can earthquakes be predicted?

No. USGS states that no scientist has ever predicted a major earthquake. Scientists can only estimate the long-term probability of quakes in an area. Early-warning systems such as ShakeAlert detect a quake that has already started and warn seconds before the shaking arrives.

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## Sources

- [USGS Earthquake Hazards Program](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/): real-time GeoJSON feeds, public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
- [USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service)](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

## Related

- [Earthquakes today](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes-today): Every M2.5+ quake worldwide in the past 24 hours.
- [Earthquake near me](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquake-near-me): Sort recent quakes by distance from you.
- [Japan earthquakes](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/japan): Live map and the 30-year normal in and around Japan.
- [Philippines earthquakes](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/philippines): Live map and the 30-year normal in the Philippines.
- [Indonesia earthquakes](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/indonesia): Live map and the 30-year normal in Indonesia.
- [India earthquakes](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/india): Live map and the 30-year normal in India.
- [Earthquakes by region](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes): All regions and every M5.5+ quake page.
- [Tsunami warning today](https://monitorworld.app/live/tsunami-warning): Latest US tsunami bulletins.