6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Taiwan

The United States Geological Services (USGS) website confirmed a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Taiwan at 8:18 a.m. on March 4, local time (reported by the USGS at 7:35 p.m. United States Eastern time on March 3). This earthquake was registered at a depth of 14.4 miles and was centered 20 miles northwest of T'ai-Tung, Taiwan. This earthquake was followed by a 4.7 magnitude quake centered near the Batan Islands Region, Philippines less than two hours later.

Reports from msnbc stated that buildings swayed north of the epicenter and at least one person was injured. Initial reports of damage and injuries were limited but some reports stated that the earthquake interrupted the power grid and halted high-speed rail service. Residents in the nation's capital, Taipei, reported feeling the quake. Taipei is located about 155 miles southwest of the epicenter.

Taiwan is no stranger to earthquakes and the strongest quake to hit the country was a 7.6 magnitude quake that occurred in September 1999. This quake was responsible for more than 2,400 deaths and the damage or destruction of more than 50,000 structures. A 6.7 earthquake in 2006 in Taiwan severed undersea cables, interrupting telephone and Internet services to millions of customers throughout Asia.

This mid-sized earthquake comes on the heels of a number of large earthquakes worldwide. Between January 3 and 5, 2010 a series of three large earthquakes - 6.6, 7.1 and 6.8 - struck the Solomon Islands. A 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 and caused major damage and killed more than 230,000 people.

A 6.2 quake struck the Bougainville Region of Papua, New Guinea on February 1 and on February 18, 2010, a 6.9 quake struck the China-Russia-North Korea border region followed by a 7.0 earthquake in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on February 26. The next day, on February 27, a massive 8.8 earthquake struck just offshore of Maule, Chile. The death toll for the earthquake in Chile currently stands at more than 700.

For websites and resources that provide the latest information and updates on recent earthquakes worldwide, see Where to Find Information on Recent Earthquakes and Tsunami Warnings.