Significant earthquakes of 2019

August 7, 2019 Earthquake: Taipei, Taiwan

August 7, 2019 · M5.9 · 1 death

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Taipei, Taiwan on August 7, 2019 at 21:28:02 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.

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
August 7, 2019
Time
21:28:02 UTC
Place
Taipei, Taiwan
Magnitude
5.9 (Mw)
Focal depth
10 km (6 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
24.475° N, 121.947° E
Country
Taiwan

The toll

Deaths
1

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.

References #12485

5.9-magnitude earthquake that rattled Taiwan on Thursday (Aug 8) killed one woman and caused temporary power outages that affected over 10,000 homes, the authorities said. Tremors were felt across the island and high-rises in Taipei swayed. The quake struck at 5.28am at a depth of 10km in north-eastern Yilan county, startling sleeping residents.

A 60-year-old woman was killed outside Taipei after a closet fell on her during the quake, the National Fire Agency said. More than 10,000 houses around the greater Taipei area and neighbouring Yilan - a popular tourist area - lost power.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2019The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2019Recent 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 10432.