Cities in southwestern Taiwan at risk of tsunami

Source(s): Earth Observatory of Singapore - Nanyang Technological University

According to findings by Assistant Professor Adam Switzer and his team at Nanyang Technological University's Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS, southwestern Taiwan is susecptible to tsunamis. The coastal lab team's recently published research showed that an 18th century tsunami that struck the area and killed more than 40,000 people was caused by an underwater landslide, which in turn triggered an earthquake.

Switzer warns that a similar event is likely to happen again, but the destruction caused will be much worse.

In an interview with The Straits Times, he says, "A similar event today like that in the 18th century would endanger millions of lives in the coastal cities like Kaohsiung and Tainan and damage infrastructure located at the south of Taiwan."

While it is difficult to pinpoint when exactly a tsunami may happen, Switzer says that "there is a very clear danger that that region would experience a magnitude-7 earthquake which can generate a sub-marine landslide."

Read the full interview at the related link below.

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Country and region Taiwan (China)
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