INFOGRAPHIC: Hualien's Tremorous Week

Hualien's Feb. 6, 2018 earthquake toppled several buildings in the city, killed at least five people and injured over 250, but it was only one of a series of tremblors over a series of days.

This animation, compiled from Central Weather Bureau data, shows the series of lesser earthquakes that led up to the big one.

Some tremors had epicenters right below downtown Hualien.

The months leading up to February's quake have been nothing out of the ordinary, with a few minor earthquakes per day at most. The past few days have seen over 200 earthquakes, mostly concentrated around Hualien.

Morley J Weston

Data from Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau shows that by the end of its first week, February 2018 already had as many earthquakes as the previous four months combined. Blue lines indicate active faults lines. Note that depth is not taken into account; Taipei's January earthquake had an epicenter 140 kilometers below the surface.

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