April 12, 1910 Earthquake: Taiwan
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Taiwan on April 12, 1910 at 00:22:13 UTC, 200 km below the surface. It killed 60 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- April 12, 1910
- Time
- 00:22:13 UTC
- Place
- Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 200 km (124 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 25.500° N, 122.500° E
- Country
- Taiwan
The toll
- Deaths
- 60
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 13
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
April 12, 1910, 08:22:13 local time, Northeast of Jilong, Taiwan Province, 25.5 N, 122.5 E, magnitude 7.75, depth 200 km.
Taibei, Xinzhu: 13 civilian houses completely collapsed,
2 partly collapsed, and 57 were damaged.
The shock was felt on the whole island and the
Penghu Islands.
Note: According to another record, an earthquake
occurred on April 15 at Taibei, Jilong, Shenkeng
and Taoyuan, 204 houses partly or completely collapsed, 60 persons were killed or injured. It was possibly the earthquake in question.
(above from reference #3939)
April 12, 1910, 00:22:13 UTC, 25.5 N, 122.5 E, depth 200 km, magnitude 8.3. (reference #88)
April 12, 1910, 00:22:13 UTC, 25.5 N, 122.5 E, depth 200 km, magnitude 7.75. (reference #130)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 16, 1935, Xiinzhu, Taiwan
- December 18, 1867, Chilung (Keelung), Taiwan
- October 13, 1815, Taiwan
- March 19, 1897, Yilan, Taiwan
- March 18, 1811, Off West Coast, Danshui, Taiwan
- February 6, 2018, Hualien, Taiwan
- February 13, 1963, Taipei, Hsinch, Taiwan
- February 23, 1957, Hualien, Taipei, Taiwan
- April 14, 1909, Taipei, Taiwan
- March 12, 1966, Taiwan
- September 1, 1922, Taiwan
- March 31, 2002, Taipei, Taiwan
- November 21, 1909, Taiwan
- August 11, 1934, Yilan, Taiwan
- April 26, 1959, Taipei, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1910The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1910Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2901.