M7.2 earthquake near Hengchun, Taiwan

What happened

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 38 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan on 15 Aug 1959, 08:57 UTC at a depth of 25 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Hengchun, about 38 km away in Taiwan, Taiwan.