...and were systematically continued in the 20th century. Geologic and seismic studies, guided by the Central Geologic Service (CGS), boomed after the September 21, 1999 earthquake (referred to as 921EQ).

Attempts to understand potential earthquake hazards in Taiwan have the goals of mitigating hazard risks and preventing potential disasters. Research programs focus on education about earthquakes, reconstruction and urban planning, disaster response, and earthquake modeling. A detailed information bank supplies data about general earthquake evaluation, reconstruction, medical assistance, and legal regulations, but a need exists for an improved geoscientific data bank (Deffontaines et al. 2001).

The importance of a comprehensive data bank was demonstrated by Taiwan's latest disastrous earthquake. The 1999 earthquake not only revived the discussion about Taiwan's geotectonic position, but also sharpened attention on environmental and human factors associated with earthquakes. For example, landslides triggered by tremors changed large parts of the relief and a unique vertical thrust occurred along the main activated fault-line. In addition, the human influence on the earthquake disaster was shown by the failures of civil engineering to prevent the collapse or damage to thousands of buildings.

The island of Taiwan lies on the fragile rim of the circum-Pacific seismic belt (the "Ring of Fire") between the island arcs of the Philippines and Japan. Seismic activity results from the collision of two tectonic plates in the region (Figure 1, next page). Although volcanic activity is presently dormant on the island, strong mountain uplift continues. Each year Taiwan is struck by thousands of tremors. Between 1991 and 1996, about 6,000 quakes were registered, of which 527 had a magnitude equal to or greater than 4.5 on the Richter scale (Lallemand 2000).

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

Three recent projects have revived interest in earthquake safety in Taiwan. The new "101-skyscraper" or Taipei International Financial Center (at 508 meters [1,666 feet], the world's tallest single building as measured to the top of a spire) stands next to a main fault line and on the edge of a soft-layered basin. The 12.9 kilometer (8 mile) Hsuehshan Tunnel will become Asia's longest tunnel, crossing the heavily folded and faulted northern part of the Central Mountain Range. The Fourth Nuclear Power Station on the northeast coast, is near the Okinawa Trough, an active submarine volcanic site. These controversial projects must cope with the existence of strong seismic activity, but the absence of devastating earthquakes in northern Taiwan during the last century has led to public complacency about the possibility of heavy casualties from environmental disasters.

Several disastrous earthquakes devastated parts of Taiwan during the 20th century (Figure 2). There were 1,258 fatalities, 2,385 casualities, and 20,000 destroyed buildings resulting from the 1906 Chiayi (Kagi/Meishan) earthquake. The 1935 Hsinchu-Taichung earthquake left 3,276 people dead, 12,053 people injured, and 54,688 buildings destroyed. Other disastrous earthquakes were in 1941 at Chungpu, in 1946 at Tainan, in 1951 near Taitung in the longitudinal valley, and in 1964 at Paiho (Sen and Wu 1996; Y. G. Chen et al. 2002). The time between large devastating earthquakes has been irregular, ranging between 5 and 29 years. Following the 1964 Paiho earthquake, it was 35 years before the next disastrous quake struck Taiwan.

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

The 921EQ Event

At 1:47:12.6 a.m. local time (UTC) on September 21, 1999, Taiwan was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 7.3. The focus was at a depth of 6.99 kilometers (4.3 miles), with the epicenter at 23.85[degrees] north latitude, 120.81[degrees] east longitude. This location is about 10 kilometers northwest of the world-famous Sun-Moon Lake or 48 kilometers north...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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