Quake jolts Taiwan

TERRA.WIRE

Quake jolts Taiwan
TAIPEI (AFP) Dec 16, 2005
An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale rocked Taiwan Friday, the Seismology Center said. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

The quake struck at 13:15 pm (0515 GMT) with an epicenter four kilometers (2.5 miles) north of Orchid Island off Taiwan's southeastern coast. It originated some 13 kilometers underground.

Taiwan, lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, is shaken regularly by earthquakes. The country's worst, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, hit in September 1999 and left some 2,400 people dead.