Roxy - Taiwan's Earthquakes (10/24 due date)

Taiwan's Earthquakes

On June 2, 2013, my mom, dad, sister, and I were having lunch with our family friends in 臺中, 臺灣 (Taichung, Taiwan). We were enjoying 空心菜 (ong choy), 北京烤鴨 (peking duck), and 小籠包 (soup dumplings) with our friends and their young kids. I was 9 years old and my sister was 11, the two little girls were 5 and 3. 

Suddenly, I heard a tremendous rumbling noise and the walls and ground started to shake. The paintings violently shook, slapping against the walls and falling off. We all took shelter under the sturdy rainforest-wood table and waited for the earthquake to stop. It was a magnitude 6.2, the epicenter was in the mountainous region of 南投 (Nantou), about 30 km away (19 mi). 

Earthquakes are very common in Taiwan. You might’ve heard about the major one in Hualien on April 3, 2024, with a magnitude of 7.4, 64x more powerful (in energy released) than the one I experienced. It killed 19 people, injured more than 1,100, and caused major damage to buildings in the city. 

The one I experienced didn't cause nearly as much damage, but it was still scary to experience as a child, and I will remember it forever.

Taiwan’s engineers and seismologists have developed multiple ways to combat this ever-present geohazard. The most famous, probably, is the giant weight inside of Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world up until 2010 (now it’s the 11th). Essentially, using momentum with its GIANT mass (660,000 kg or 1,455,000 lbs), it sways back and forth during an earthquake, counteracting the movement and keeping Taipei 101 from crumbling down.

Works Cited: 

CNN. “How Taiwan’s Tallest Skyscraper Withstands Earthquakes.” CNN, 4 Apr. 2024,
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/04/style/taipei-101-earthquake-design-intl-hnk#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20a%20building%20starts%20to,faster%20and%20faster%20and%20faster.%E2%80%9D.

U.S. Geological Survey. “USGS Event Page: us7000m9g4 (2024 Hualien Earthquake).” USGS,
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000m9g4/executive.

CNN. “Live News: Taiwan Earthquake Hualien 04-04-23 Intl.” CNN,
https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/taiwan-earthquake-hualien-04-04-23-hnk-intl/index.html.

Lu, X., et al. “Analysis of Strong Earthquake Activity Characteristics in Taiwan.” Dizhen Xuebao = Acta Seismologica Sinica, vol. 45, no. 6, 2023, pp. 996–1010. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/analysis-strong-earthquake-activity/docview/3067584993/se-2.