M5.0 earthquake 158 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 158 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan on Tue, Jan 4, 1972, 8:15 PM GMT+8 (12:15 UTC), 32 km (20 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.3 167 km SSE of Hualien City, Taiwan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-01-04 12:15:19 UTC
- Depth
- 31.8 km (19.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.554° N, 122.164° E
- Region
- Taiwan
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 7.3167 km SSE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 19965 days ago · 27 km deep · 13 km away
- 7.1110 km SSE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 19965 days ago · 27 km deep · 57 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTaiwan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem776680. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:57 PM UTC.