Magnitude 7.2 Ms | Depth 15 km Casualties 5 | |
 | ||
Date April 24, 1972 (1972-04-24) | ||
The 1972 Ruisui earthquake (also known as the 1972 Juisui earthquake) occurred on April 24 at 17:57 local time. The magnitude of this earthquake was given as Ms 7.2 by the United States Geological Survey and ML 6.9 by the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan. The epicenter was located near Ruisui Township, Hualien County, Taiwan. The intensity was shindo 4 in Taipei and Hualien. Five people were reported dead. The Ruisui Bridge (Chinese: 瑞穗大橋) was destroyed. The water treatment plant in Ruisui was damaged.
This earthquake was caused by the Juisui Fault with a vertical movement of 70 centimeters (28 in). The Juisui Fault is a segment of the 150 kilometers (93 mi) long Longitudinal Valley Fault, which is a left-lateral fault with a reverse component. The boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Plate lies along the Longitudinal Valley Fault.