March 31, 2002 Earthquake: Taipei, Taiwan
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Taipei, Taiwan on March 31, 2002 at 06:52:50 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 5 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
- March 31, 2002
- Time
- 06:52:50 UTC
- Place
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 24.279° N, 122.179° E
- Country
- Taiwan
The toll
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 200
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 100
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 5 people killed, 200 injured, 3 buildings collapsed and 100 houses destroyed in the T'ai-pei area. Water and gas lines were broken and some bridges were damaged. Landslides blocked highways in eastern Taiwan. Felt throughout Taiwan. A tsunami of 20 cm (peak-to-trough) occurred on Yonaguni-jima, Ryukyu Islands. (reference #1053)
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
- March 16, 1906, Jiayi, Taiwan
- December 3, 1848, Zhanghua, Taiwan
- December 18, 1867, Chilung (Keelung), Taiwan
- February 1845, Zhanghua, Taiwan
- August 9, 1792, Jiayi, Tainan, Taiwan
- August 28, 1916, Taiwan
- October 13, 1815, Taiwan
- October 22, 1951, Taiwan
- April 12, 1910, Taiwan
- March 19, 1897, Yilan, Taiwan
- January 4, 1917, Puli, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 2002The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2002Recent 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 5627.