Taiwan earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 46 km E of Yilan, Taiwan

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 46 km E of Yilan, Taiwan on Mon, May 4, 1981, 3:19 AM GMT+8 (19:19 UTC), 73 km (45 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 68 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.9 (mb), minor
Local time
UTC
1981-05-03 19:19:48 UTC
Depth
72.7 km (45.2 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
24.690° N, 122.210° 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.

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.368 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16568 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  2. 4.535 km ESE of Jiufen, Taiwan · 16567 days ago · 5 km deep · 28 km away
  3. 4.016 km ENE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 16567 days ago · 17 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 4.628 km SSE of Jiufen, Taiwan · 16530 days ago · 26 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 4.056 km WNW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16525 days ago · 113 km deep · 29 km away
  6. 4.172 km E of Hualien City, Taiwan · 16522 days ago · 54 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 3.841 km E of Yilan, Taiwan · 16521 days ago · 88 km deep · 15 km away

Before

  1. 4.213 km ESE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 16583 days ago · 60 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 4.370 km SW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16591 days ago · 7 km deep · 87 km away
  3. 4.666 km NW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16592 days ago · 22 km deep · 28 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dgx. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC.