M5.4 earthquake 14 km SSE of Yilan, Taiwan
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 14 km SSE of Yilan, Taiwan on Mon, Feb 21, 1972, 5:42 PM GMT+8 (09:42 UTC), 78 km (49 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 57 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-02-21 09:42:41 UTC
- Depth
- 78.4 km (48.7 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 24.639° N, 121.813° 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 2.4 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTaiwan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem776365. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:03 AM UTC.