M 5.5 Earthquake — 33 felt reports
4 km ENE of Hualien City, Taiwan — 33 people reported feeling this earthquake — CDI 5.2 (Moderate)
Geographic Context
This earthquake event occurred near Hualien City (approximately 5 km away) in Taiwan, positioned at the junction of the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. An estimated 87.4K people live within 20 km of the event location, placing this in the "significant" population impact tier.
Event Assessment
This event is a moderate earthquake measuring 5.5 on the magnitude scale, with a focal depth of 22 km. Events of this magnitude are typically felt over a wide area and may cause damage to vulnerable structures. Calamity.live has classified it as "medium" severity with a severity value of 44. The computed Calamity Score is 34 out of 100, suggesting contained impact at this time. The primary scoring components are: population (55), intensity (30), cascading (18). Data for this event was sourced from usgs_dyfi, one of the 250 scientific monitoring sources aggregated by Calamity.live.
Regional Monitoring Context
Taiwan has a documented history of earthquake events. Seismic monitoring in the region draws on data from multiple agencies including USGS, EMSC, and regional networks. Understanding local seismicity helps emergency management agencies plan for potential future events and assess building code adequacy. Earthquake hazard in any region depends on fault proximity, soil conditions, and building vulnerability — factors that can vary significantly even within a single metropolitan area.
Cascade Risk Analysis
This event may trigger secondary hazards through cascade effects. Cascade detection is an automated process that evaluates how primary disasters can trigger secondary events — for example, earthquakes triggering landslides, or volcanic eruptions causing lahars and pyroclastic flows. These secondary hazards can sometimes pose a greater threat than the initial event, particularly in mountainous terrain or densely populated areas.
Event Data
| Type | Earthquake |
| Severity | medium |
| Severity Value | 44 |
| Calamity Score | 34 / 100 |
| Confidence | 85% |
| Coordinates | 23.9901, 121.6455 |
| Nearest City | Hualien City (5 km) |
| Population Exposed | 87.4K within 20 km |
| Impact Tier | significant |
| Timestamp | 2026-04-04T17:14:57.460Z |
| Source | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000smlu/dyfi |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Mag | 5.5 |
| Depth | 22.066 |
| Felt | 33 |
| Cdi | 5.2 |
| CdiDescription | Moderate |
| Mmi | 5.683 |
| Alert | green |
| Sig | 483 |
| Tsunami | false |
| Place | 4 km ENE of Hualien City, Taiwan |
| Types | ,dyfi,ground-failure,losspager,origin,phase-data,shakemap, |
| Usgs Shakemap Mag | 5.5 |
| Usgs Shakemap Depth | 22.066 |
| Usgs Shakemap Mmi | 5.683 |
| Usgs Shakemap MmiDescription | Moderate |
| Usgs Shakemap Felt | 33 |
| Usgs Shakemap Alert | green |
| Usgs Shakemap Sig | 483 |
| Usgs Shakemap Tsunami | false |
| Usgs Shakemap Place | 4 km ENE of Hualien City, Taiwan |
Cascade Risks
Safety Information
If you feel shaking: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Move away from windows, heavy objects, and exterior walls. After shaking stops, check for injuries and structural damage. Be prepared for aftershocks, which can occur minutes to months after the mainshock. Follow instructions from local emergency management authorities.
This data is aggregated algorithmically from scientific sources. Not a replacement for official emergency warnings.
Calamity.live data shows a earthquake event with CalamityScore 34/100, near Hualien City (Taiwan), based on data from usgs_dyfi. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 207 scientific monitoring sources.