M4.2 earthquake 27 km E of Yilan, Taiwan
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 27 km E of Yilan, Taiwan on Fri, Aug 21, 1981, 3:03 AM GMT+8 (19:03 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.5 12 km NW 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
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-20 19:03:25 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 24.787° N, 122.022° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.035 km S of Yilan, Taiwan · 16472 days ago · 6 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.033 km NNE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 16464 days ago · 32 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.512 km NW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16449 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.025 km WNW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16440 days ago · 110 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.110 km E of Hualien City, Taiwan · 16439 days ago · 17 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.550 km WNW of Yonakuni, Japan · 16417 days ago · 107 km deep · 55 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTaiwan earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fcy. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 3:46 AM UTC.