December 18, 2001 Earthquake: Taiwan
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Taiwan on December 18, 2001 at 04:02:58 UTC, 14 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
- December 18, 2001
- Time
- 04:02:58 UTC
- Place
- Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 14 km (9 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 23.954° N, 122.734° 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.
Felt strongly in much of northern Taiwan. Also felt on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. Recorded (4 TAP) at I-lan and Su-ao; (3 TAP) in Chang-hua, Hua-lien, I-lan, Taipei and Tao-yuan Counties; (2 TAP) throughout Taiwan. Recorded (4 JMA) on Yonaguni-jima; (3 JMA) on Ishigaki-jima and Tarama-jima; (1
JMA) on Miyako-jima, Ryukyu Islands. Tsunami generated
with recorded wave heights of 20 cm on Iriomote-jima,
13 cm on Yonaguni-jima, 11 cm at Uehara and 5 cm on
Ishigaki-jima. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 24, 1771, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- April 20, 1935, Mialoi, Taiwan
- September 20, 1999, Nantou, Taichung, Taizhong, Taiwan
- December 18, 1867, Chilung (Keelung), Taiwan
- August 28, 1916, Taiwan
- October 22, 1951, Taiwan
- April 12, 1910, Taiwan
- March 19, 1897, Yilan, Taiwan
- January 4, 1917, Puli, Taiwan
- April 2, 2024, Hua-Lien, Taiwan
- February 6, 2018, Hualien, Taiwan
- November 24, 1951, Taiwan
- February 13, 1963, Taipei, Hsinch, Taiwan
- November 14, 1986, Taipei, Hualien, Taiwan
- February 23, 1957, Hualien, Taipei, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 2001The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2001Recent 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 6613.