A magnitude 6 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan in Hualien County on Monday, the United States Seismological Institute (USGS) said.
No damage or casualties have been reported so far.
According to the USGS, the quake struck at 9:05 a.m. (01:05 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers.
A video filmed by a lake showing the ground suddenly shaking violently was posted on Facebook by a national park in Hualien.
“It’s a really big earthquake…Hope everyone is safe!” The caption reads, adding that the footage was captured by one of the park’s security cameras.
A Taipei-based AFP reporter said he felt the ground tremble. According to local media, the quake was felt across the island.
According to a passenger, subway traffic in the capital Taipei was briefly interrupted.
According to the Taiwan Meteorological Service, a lower-intensity tremor was recorded about half an hour later.
“In this (earthquake-affected) area, since 1990, there have only been two earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6.0 and one with a magnitude close to 6.0,” said Chen Kuo-chang, director of Taiwan Central’s seismological center Meteorological Bureau, at a press conference.
“The weakest is today and we believe this may be related to activities (at) the guilt,” he added.
He said the weather bureau is not ruling out more aftershocks greater than 5.0 magnitude over the next two days.
Taiwan and its surroundings are regularly hit by earthquakes due to their location near the intersection of two tectonic plates.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater can result in casualties depending on location and depth.
The UGSC has given this event a “green” rating and believes there is a low risk of injury or damage.
According to Chen, the highest number of earthquakes over magnitude 6.0 was recorded in 1999 with a total of 13 earthquakes.
That year, Taiwan was devastated by the deadliest earthquake in its history, measuring 7.6 magnitude in September and killing more than 2,400 people.