Chiayi rocked by 5.5-magnitude quake, more temblors likely

2023-09-06

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Chiayi County at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The temblor shattered a dozen fish tanks at a shrimp farm, and sent goods flying off the shelves at a supermarket. This was the fourth shallow quake to hit the area in the past few weeks. Seismologists warn that more could come.

Security cameras captured the moment an earthquake struck a Chiayi supermarket, sending goods falling onto the floor. Some shoppers stand still in shock, while others make for the door.

Supermarket employee
I was dead scared. There were two jolts. First there was one, and then it stopped, and then it started again. Everything fell down.

At a shrimp farm in Zhuqi Township, many of the tanks didn’t survive the quake.

Mr. Chung
Shrimp business owner
When I came back to have a look, there was broken glass all over the floor and all the water had spilled out. About 11 tanks were broken.

At 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Xingang Township in Chiayi County. Its depth was just 8.5 kilometers, making it an exceptionally shallow temblor.

Wu Chien-fu
CWB seismologist
We think the cause of the earthquake was that energy building up here reached a breaking point, triggering a release.

This marks the fourth shallow earthquake to hit Chiayi’s Xingang and Minxiong area in the past half month. There are fears that the quakes are connected to activity at the Meishan Fault, which caused a 7.1- magnitude earthquake in 1906.

Wu Chien-fu
CWB seismologist
The location of these quakes is actually quite far from the Meishan Fault. There are some experts who say the Meishan Fault extends underground all the way to Xingang. But according to the Meishan Fault map issued by the Central Geological Survey, this quake did not occur along the fault.

Seismologists say that more shallow quakes could follow in the next two weeks, ranging between magnitudes 4 to 4.5. Residents are urged to stay alert to possible temblors to come.

嘉義新港週二規模5.5地震氣象局:密切觀測

2023-09-06

嘉義縣新港鄉昨天傍晚5點半，發生規模5.5地震，嚇壞不少民眾，有超商貨架物品掉滿地，甚至有蝦舍被震破10多個魚缸，由於這是近半個月來，民雄、新港一帶第4起極淺層地震，民眾憂心，是不是梅山斷層能量爆發的前兆，氣象局說，近期會密切觀測，也提醒民眾要小心防災。

嘉義民雄一間超商，監視器拍下天搖地動瞬間，貨架上的物品砸了下來，有民眾嚇得不知所措，有人則是奪門而出。

[[店員]]
“哦，真是嚇死我了，搖兩次，搖一次停了之後又再搖一次，東西全部都倒下來”

另一邊，竹崎鄉這一間蝦舍，狀況也很慘。

[[水晶蝦業者鍾老闆]]
“回來我的蝦場趕快看，現場玻璃碎滿地，水都流出來，數一數大概(破了)11缸有”

週二晚間5點30分，嘉義新港鄉發生規模5.5地震，深度只有8.5公里，屬於極淺層地震。

[[氣象局地震測報中心代理主任吳健富]]
“這個地震的成因，我們研判就是因為，它的能量已經超越這個破碎帶的位置，造成一個能量釋放”

這已經是嘉義縣新港、民雄一帶，近半個月來，第4起淺層地震，也讓不少人擔心，是否和1906年，曾經引發規模7.1強震的"梅山斷層"有關。

[[氣象局地震測報中心代理主任吳健富]]
“它的位置其實還是離梅山斷層有一段距離，雖然有些學者是有提到說，梅山斷層可能已經延伸到新港鄉下面，(但是) 地調所公布的梅山斷層的位置圖，它還不是在梅山斷層上面”

氣象局強調，兩週內仍然不排除，會發生規模4到4.5的淺層地震，也提醒民眾提高警覺，以防災害發生。