July 23, 1978 Earthquake: Taiwan
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Taiwan on July 23, 1978 at 14:42:36 UTC, 17 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- July 23, 1978
- Time
- 14:42:36 UTC
- Place
- Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 7.4 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 22.282° N, 121.512° E
- Country
- Taiwan
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1978, July 23, 14:42:36.9 UTC, 22.282 N, 121.512 E, magnitude 6.5mb 7.4 MS. Felt strongly on Taiwan, also felt at Hong Kong. A small tsunami of 10 cm height (peak-to-trough) was measured at Ishigakijima, Ryukyu islands. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 20, 1999, Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan
- 1721, Tainan, Taiwan
- June 6, 1862, Tainan, Taiwan
- March 16, 1906, Jiayi, 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
- February 5, 2016, Tainan, Taiwan
- June 27, 1839, Jiayi, Taiwan
- January 18, 1964, Tainan, Taiwan
- October 22, 1951, Taiwan
- December 4, 1946, Taiwan
- January 4, 1917, Puli, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1978The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1978Recent 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 6456.