February 5, 2016 Earthquake: Tainan, Taiwan

Ref #13456:

At least 117 people killed from the collapse of the Wiguan Jinlong apartment building and 525 injured in Tainan. Felt (VII) at Chiayi; (VI) at Gangshan and Tainan; (V) at Fengshan and Kaohsiung; (IV) at Dali, Hsinchu, Pingtung, Taichung and Zhonghe. Felt (V) at Fuzhou and (IV) at Xiamen, Fujian. Also felt in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Zhejiang. Recorded (6 TAP) in Yunlin; (5 TAP) in Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Tainan; (4 TAP) in Changhua, Nantou, Penghu, Taichung and Taitung; (3 TAP) in Hualien. Hsinhua, Tainan Hsien, Taiwan - CDI: 8; Chiayi, Chiayi Shih, Taiwan - CDI: 7; Chishan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan - CDI: 7

Tectonic Summary

The Feb 5, 2016 M 6.4 earthquake east of Tainan in southern Taiwan occurred as the result of oblique thrust faulting at shallow-mid crustal depths (~20 km). Focal mechanisms indicate rupture occurred on a fault oriented either northwest-southeast, and dipping shallowly to the northeast, or on a north-south striking structure dipping steeply to the west. Taiwan lies in a region of complex tectonics, at the boundary between the Philippine Sea and Eurasia plates. To the north and east, the Philippine Sea plate subducts beneath Eurasia towards the north-northwest, along the Ryukyu Trench. South of the island, the South China Sea (on the the Eurasia plate) subducts to the east beneath the Philippine Sea plate at the Manila Trench. Moving north, subduction tectonics transition to arc-continent collision along the western side of Taiwan. At the location of the earthquake, the two plates converge in a northwest-southeast direction at a velocity of about 80 mm/yr.

Taiwan is the location of frequent seismicity, and 90 M 6.4+ events have occurred within 250 km of the February 5, 2016 event over the preceding century. Several of these earthquakes occurring beneath Taiwan (rather than in the subduction zone northeast of the island) have been destructive. A M 5.7 earthquake 70 km to the north of the February 2016 event in July 1998 caused 5 fatalities; a M 7.0 event in Dec 2006, 120 km to the south, caused 2 fatalities. The Chi-Chi earthquake (also Jiji, or 921 earthquake), a M 7.6 event in Sept 1999 just over 100 km north-northeast of the Feb 2016 event, caused widespread destruction and almost 2,500 fatalities. The 1999 event was the second deadliest earthquake in Taiwan history, after the April 1935 earthquake just north of Taichung, which caused over 3,200 fatalities. A M 7.3 earthquake in Dec 1941, between the cities of Tainan and Chiai and 55 km northwest of the Feb 2016 event, also caused several hundred fatalities.

Ref #11422:

Search and rescue operations after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Taiwan ended Saturday as the death toll rose to 116, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. The last trapped person was rescued alive on Saturday afternoon, the city's disaster response office said. A total of 289 people were rescued, 96 people remain in hospital. Most of the fatalities and injuries came from the collapse of the Weiguan Golden Dragon high-rise tower in Tainan, the response center said. Aerial images in the immediate aftermath of the temblor showed the Weiguan Golden Dragon tower transformed into rubble. Structures around it remained intact. Rescuers found tin cans packed into the collapsed walls of the high-rise. "There are so many other older buildings in Tainan that are still standing. Why was it only this building that was completely destroyed?" asked Wang Xingyou, a city cab driver. Three people, all former executives of the company that built the collapsed apartment building, were arrested Tuesday and face charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

Ref #11932:

The Weiguan Jinlong Building, unfortunately, collapsed during this earthquake, leading to 115 deaths and 96 injuries.

Ref #1250:

700,000,000 USD