7.4 magnitude quake in Taiwan; Japan issues tsunami warning for Okinawa & other Ryukyu islands

Subject: Geography

Section: Geomorphology

In the news:

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on April 3, 2023, as reported by the USGS.

Details:

The epicentre was south-southwest of Hualien, on Taiwan’s east coast with effects felt in Taipei.
Japan issued a tsunami alert for the Ryukyu islands, extending from Taiwan to Kyushu, including the strategically significant island of Okinawa.
A tsunami of at least 30 centimetres was recorded reaching Yonaguni Island, close to Taiwan.
Tsunami arrival times for Iriomote and Ishigaki were around 9:30 am, and for Miyakojima and Okinawa around 10 am, as reported by NHK.
This earthquake is the strongest to strike Taiwan since 1999.
Taiwan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent seismic activity.
The Philippines also issued a tsunami warning for its Batanes island group, indicating the broader regional impact of the earthquake.

Places in the news:

Ryukyu islands:
- The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands, are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni the westernmost.
- The larger are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller are mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island.

Batanes island group:
- Batanes is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region.
- The island group is located about 190 kilometres (120 miles) south of Taiwan (Pingtung County).

Source: DTE