Just after 9 this morning there was a 5.9 mag earthquake off the coast of Taidong between green and orchid islands. It was enough to get me out of my chair to steady things like the TV and cabinets, but passed pretty quickly. A lot of quakes here seem like single jolts, but this did go on for about 10 seconds. Didn't notice any unusual animal behaviour before it.

There has been a flurry of seismic activity over the last few months and esp the last week, including 7 (!) quakes of mag 4 or greater in the last two days. Was that the culminating one? Or just part of the intro?

Found this informative report from the China Post:

"The quake's epicenter was approximately between Taitung and Green Island, Orchid Island, the two triangular area between the center of the Islands. Currently there are around the disaster has not yet reported.

The earthquake is more rapid, to go, although not to the violent shaking for 10 seconds, is still felt around in the Taiwan, Taitung coastal towns East River, Green Island, Orchid Island , Taimali are four seismic intensity.

Kaohsiung news from the quake, the local people clearly feel the shaking of the building, with no clouds scattered earthquake in Japan, some people with a "flight pack" to escape from the high-rise residence abroad, or hiding in the corner, under a table, etc.. However, the public is still time to go downstairs, shaking stopped.

"Central Weather Bureau" told the media that Taiwan's average of two to three times a month over the scale of five earthquakes above magnitude 6 is two to three times the average annual . Three times so far this year have occurred in the scale of five earthquakes to 20, 5.9 earthquake occurred in the largest, the other two were in the Feb. 1 off the coast of Hualien and Taitung on February 15 off the coast, were a 5.5 scale. (End)"