1941 Chungpu earthquake

1941 Chungpu earthquake
Date December 17, 1941 (1941-12-17)
Magnitude 7.1 ML
Depth 12 kilometres (7 mi)
Epicenter 23°24′N 120°29′E / 23.40°N 120.48°E / 23.40; 120.48Coordinates: 23°24′N 120°29′E / 23.40°N 120.48°E / 23.40; 120.48
Areas affected Taiwan, Empire of Japan
Casualties 358 dead
733 injured

The 1941 Chungpu earthquake (Chinese: 1941年中埔地震; pinyin: 1941 nián Zhōngpǔ Dìzhèn) occurred with a magnitude of 7.1 on December 17, and was centred on the town of Chungpu, Taiwan. It was the fourth-deadliest earthquake of the 20th century in Taiwan, claiming 358 lives.

Earthquake

The earthquake struck at 03:19 local time on December 17, 1941. At a magnitude of 7.1 and with a focal depth of 12 kilometres (7 mi), the quake was felt throughout the island. The epicentre was in Tainan Prefecture in modern-day Zhongpu, Chiayi, just southeast of Chiayi City, and was close to the location of the 1906 Meishan earthquake, which hit in the neighbouring township of Meishan.

Damage

According to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, there were 358 people killed as a result of the quake, with a further 733 people injured. 4,520 dwellings were completely destroyed, and 11,086 were partially destroyed.[1] The quake also triggered a landslide on Caoling Mountain (Chinese: 草嶺山; pinyin: Cǎolǐng Shān) which dammed the river and created the temporary Qingshui Lake (Chinese: 清水湖; pinyin: Qīngshuǐ Hú) in the valley below.[2] This lake has formed and drained several times over the last two hundred years in response to earthquakes and typhoons. Damage was sustained to infrastructure, with gas, electricity and transportation networks being seriously disrupted.[3]

Reaction

Taiwan was a Japanese colony at the time of the earthquake. Coming as it did just ten days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, false rumours abounded that the earthquake was caused by retaliatory United States bombing.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 中央氣象局. "Preface". 台灣地區十大災害地震圖集 (A Collection of Images of Ten Great Earthquake Disasters in the Taiwan Region) (PDF) (in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  2. ↑ "What do the effects of the crustal deformation look like in Taiwan?". Central Weather Bureau.
  3. 1 2 "The historical impact of earthquake damage on Taiwan society and culture". Taiwan Journal. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
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