M5.6 earthquake 32 km SE of Yilan, Taiwan
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 32 km SE of Yilan, Taiwan on Thu, Jan 29, 1981, 12:51 PM GMT+8 (04:51 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-01-29 04:51:35 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 24.513° N, 121.939° E
- Region
- Taiwan
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | mb, body-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.92 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.9 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 14.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 223
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.719 km SSE of Yilan, Taiwan · 16656 days ago · 71 km deep · 14 km away
- 4.75 km SSE of Jiufen, Taiwan · 16651 days ago · 146 km deep · 61 km away
- 3.876 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16625 days ago · 7 km deep · 81 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTaiwan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bxx (also filed as gcmtb012981a, gcmt19810129045135, atlas19810129045138, iscgem633275). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:51 PM UTC.