Significant earthquakes of 1999

September 20, 1999 Earthquake: Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan

September 20, 1999 · M7.6 · 2,297 deaths · $14 billion

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan on September 20, 1999 at 17:47:18 UTC, 25 km below the surface. It killed 2,297 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
September 20, 1999
Time
17:47:18 UTC
Place
Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan
Magnitude
7.6 (Mw)
Focal depth
25 km (16 mi)
Intensity
10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
23.834° N, 120.813° E
Country
Taiwan

The toll

Deaths
2,297
Injuries
8,700
Damage
$14 billion
Houses destroyed
8,200
Houses damaged
82,000

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.

At least 2,297 people killed, 8,700 injured, 600,000 people left homeless and about 82,000 housing units damaged by the earthquake and larger aftershocks. Damage estimated at 14 billion U.S. dollars. Maximum intensity (VI JMA) in Nan-touand Tai-chung Counties. Half of a village was lost by subsidence into the Ta-an Hsi and landslides blocked the Ching-shui Hsi, creating a large lake. Two other lakes were created by substantial ground deformation near the epicenter. Surface faulting occurred along 75 km of the Chelungpu Fault. Felt (V JMA) at Chia-i and I-lan; (IV JMA) at Kao-hsiung, Taipei and Tai-tung; (IV JMA) on Lan Yu and Peng-hu Tao; (III JMA) at Hua-lien. Felt strongly in Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang Provinces. Felt (IV) in Hong Kong. Also felt (II JMA) on Iriomote-jima and Yonaguni- jima; (I JMA) on Ishigaki-jima and Miyako-jima, Ryukyu Islands. (reference #1053)

The Chi-Chi earthquake of Mw7.7 occurred on 20 September 1999 (17:47:16, UTC) in Taiwan, with the epicentre at (120.82oE, 23.85oN) and a focal depth of 8 km. This event has been recognized as the largest earthquake in Taiwan during the past 100 years. Chi-Chi earthquake claimed a death toll of 2492 human lives (Tien et al., 2002). (reference #13294)

1999 Sept 20 17:47:19.73, 23.834 N 120.813 E, magnitude 7.63 Mw (reference #10476, v 9.1)

Photos

From the NCEI/WDS Natural Hazards Image Database (doi:10.7289/V5154F01). Only photos by the USGS and NOAA, which are public domain, are shown.

Along Chelungpu Fault
Along Chelungpu Fault Fault scarp on street with four meters of vertical offset. Note the height of the basketball hoop. Note apparently undamaged structures on the left on the raised portion of the fault. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Along Chelungpu Fault
Along Chelungpu Fault Damage to a house on the fault shown in the previous picture. Note the unsupported portion of the porch. Note also the undamaged structures on the dropped portion of the fault down the street. The red number 61 has been spray painted on the house by damage assessment teams. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Along Chelungpu Fault
Along Chelungpu Fault One of the spectacular vertical offsets along the fault has formed a new waterfall in the Tachia River northeast of Fengyuan. The new waterfall has an 8-meter vertical fault offset. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Taichung
Taichung Partial collapse of an internal column. Note exposed rebar. Failure occurred at the level of the less open and therefore stiffer second story floor. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Taichung
Taichung Toppled building blocks traffic in the street. Note the power lines. Power lines were often pulled down when buildings failed. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Taichung
Taichung Partially collapsed 15-story high-rise building. Building was constructed of reinforced concrete with infill brick partitions. There was beam column joint failure at the façade and the first floor collapsed in the right section of the building. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Fengyuan
Fengyuan Overrun tree at Fengyuan. The roof of a collapsed structure lies next to the tree. Note the computer monitor and household items on the ground next to the tree. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Fengyuan
Fengyuan Fault scarp in the rice field near Fengyuan. The fault underlies the green rice field and the overturned earth in the foreground. Note leaning trees on the left. The middle tree is a brownish color and appears to be dying perhaps because of earthquake damage to its root system. Faults near Fengyuan were one to six meters in height. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Fengyuan
Fengyuan Fengyuan Cemetery after the earthquake. Ancestors had to be reburied after the bodies were expelled from their graves by the earth shaking. This is a common phenomenon in large earthquakes. Note fault offset on the drainage ditch in the foreground. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Fengyuan
Fengyuan View from the top of the damaged ShihKang Dam near Fengyuan. The fault passed directly beneath one end of the dam with about ten meters of vertical offset and two meters of horizontal offset. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Fengyuan
Fengyuan Oblique view of the damaged ShihKang Dam near Fengyuan. The fault goes directly under the damaged portion of the dam. The dam was 50 km from the epicenter. The severe damage to the dam cut off the water supply from the reservoir. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.
Fengyuan
Fengyuan Vertical offset in road on top of dam northeast of Fengyuan. Offset is eight to ten meters. Compare height of offset with height of people. Photo: NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1999The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1999Recent 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 5535.