April 24, 1972 Earthquake: Hualien, Taiwan
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Hualien, Taiwan on April 24, 1972 at 09:57:21 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 4 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 24, 1972
- Time
- 09:57:21 UTC
- Place
- Hualien, Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 5 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 23.600° N, 121.600° E
- Country
- Taiwan
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- 11
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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 24, 1972, 09:57:21.7 UTC, 23.6 N, 121.6 E, magnitude 6.0 mb, 6.9 MS, 4 killed, 11 injured and moderate damage in Hualien area. (reference #1053)
April 24, 1972, 09:57:21.7 UTC, Taiwan, 23.6N, 121.6E, depth 33 km, magnitude 6.9 mb and 7.7 MS. (reference #1229)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 22, 1782, Tainan, Taiwan
- April 20, 1935, Mialoi, Taiwan
- July 16, 1935, Xiinzhu, Taiwan
- September 20, 1999, Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan
- 1721, Tainan, Taiwan
- June 6, 1862, Tainan, Taiwan
- March 16, 1906, Jiayi, Taiwan
- December 3, 1848, Zhanghua, Taiwan
- December 18, 1867, Chilung (Keelung), Taiwan
- February 1845, Zhanghua, Taiwan
- December 16, 1941, Taiwan
- January 30, 1736, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 9, 1792, Jiayi, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 28, 1916, Taiwan
- November 5, 1904, Jiayi, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1972The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1972Recent 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 4603.