USGS · September 3, 2026

Magnitude 4.4 earthquake — 77 km SE of Hengchun, Taiwan

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake was recorded near 77 km SE of Hengchun, Taiwan on Sep 3, 2026, 01:32 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC+8), at a depth of about 35.0 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-04 18:15 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 4.4 · body-wave magnitude
Location
77 km SE of Hengchun, Taiwan
Local time at the epicentre
Sep 3, 2026, 01:32 AM — UTC+8
Time (UTC)
2026-09-02 17:32 UTC
Depth
35.0 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
21.560, 121.327
Felt reports
No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance
298 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality
72 seismic stations used · 97° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status
Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog
USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 0 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 29,702 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
Hengchun77.9 km NW29,702

Earthquake history in this area

No earthquake of magnitude 4.5+ has been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in Taiwan.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

3 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 77 km SE of Hengchun, Taiwan

SeismoWatch pushes a notification to your Android phone within minutes of a matching earthquake — for the area and magnitude you choose.

Get the Android app

Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 77 km SE of Hengchun, Taiwan earthquake?

Magnitude 4.4 (body-wave magnitude), at a depth of 35.0 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Sep 3, 2026, 01:32 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC+8). In universal time: 2026-09-02 17:32 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Hengchun, 77.9 km NW (population 29,702).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

3 further events were recorded within 100 km of the epicentre in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.