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New Delhi: A devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan has caused widespread food shortages across the country. So far, ten people have died and more than a thousand people have been injured, but this figure may increase significantly. The reason for this is that many high-rise buildings have collapsed without warning in the capital city of Taipei alone. Videos and pictures of collapse of such buildings have gone viral on social media. Electricity has been completely disrupted throughout Taiwan. Internet is down. The airport will have to be closed.
The power outage has disrupted metro services as well as train services in cities across Taiwan. This earthquake in Taiwan was the worst earthquake in the last 25 years. Earlier in 1999, more than 2,500 people were killed and more than one lakh were injured in the earthquake that occurred in Nonnet County, Taiwan. Along with this, this earthquake reminded us of the devastating earthquake that occurred in Kutch in Gujarat in 2001.
The tremors of this earthquake were felt till Shanghai, China. Tremors also occurred in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Zhouyanzhou and Ningde in China.
15 minutes after the earthquake, a tsunami about 1 meter high was recorded on the island of Yogyakarta in Japan. Due to this earthquake, a terrible tsunami spread on two islands of Japan. The effect of this earthquake extended to some extent to Vancouver in Western Canada. It has also affected the west coast of America.
Generally: Earthquakes measuring up to five on the Richter scale cause massive destruction. At the same time, an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude has occurred in Taiwan, due to which it seems certain to cause huge destruction. The earthquake was also felt north of Taiwan, southeast and east of mainland China. A five-story building tilted due to an earthquake in Taiwan. Whose picture is going viral on social media.
Due to this earthquake, a tsunami warning was immediately declared in the Philippines. Whereas in Taiwan, schools, colleges and government offices have been closed. Many historical places have also suffered huge damage due to this earthquake. Even the country's heritage properties have developed cracks. So there is some laxity.
Wu-Chien-kuo, director of the Central Meteorological Administration in Taiwan's capital, Taipei, said the quake was felt not only throughout the country but also on Taiwan's surrounding islands. According to media reports, a school building built before the Second World War has also been damaged. Nippon Airlines, Japan's largest airline, has canceled all airline services to and from the Okinawa and Kagoshima areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the earthquake in Taiwan and assured that India is with him in helping Taiwan devastated by the earthquake.
Taiwan is the world's leading chip supplier
Earthquake in Taiwan is not limited only to Taiwan but can give a big economic blow to the world. Taiwan is the world's leading chip supplier and supplies chips to Apple, Samsung and Intel. A single Taiwanese company, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), holds more than 50 percent of the world semiconductor chip market. The second company is Foxconn. TSMC has closed its units after the earthquake. The extent of damage caused to its factories is not yet known. If Taiwan's factories are damaged, the global economy could face a major blow. This may also have an adverse impact on the global economy. Taiwan's semiconductor industry is worth $115 billion and accounts for more than 20 percent of the world semiconductor market. Taiwanese companies account for more than 50 percent of the global semiconductor market.
The reason behind the earthquake in Taiwan
Many countries including China and Japan were shaken by the massive earthquake in Taiwan. Everyone knows that Taiwan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. That means earthquakes and volcanic activities occur more in this area. Taiwan rests on a complex structure of tectonic plates. Let us leave aside the smaller plates and faults and understand only the major plates and faults. The Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate near the Ryukyu Trench. Here trench means deep sea trench. The Eurasian Plate subducts beneath the Philippine Sea Plate near the Manila Trench. Under these circumstances, the land of the Taiwan archipelago is like a three-layer sandwich. If even one of the plates is affected, both trenches are affected. The reason behind such large-scale earthquakes is the release of large-scale pressure. This pressure is released when tectonic plates move, collide, overlap, thrust, or break apart.