Earthquake near Taiwan

Well, we just had a swarm of earthquakes with magnitudes near Taiwan. The USGS web pages for these earthquakes are here: M = 6.0, 6.1, and 6.4. This is a complicated tectonic region and there are many different and differing interpretations. Taiwan is at a location where a westward vergent subduction zone (Manila trench) comes from the South and an eastward vergent subduction zone comes from the north (Ryukyu trench). I am getting ready to head to class and then to Pasadena for a Seismological Society of America meeting, so I cannot fully describe the complexity right now. I will try to follow up later.
Here is a map that shows the three earthquake epicenters as they relate to these plate boundary faults.


Here is an oblique view of the plate configuration in this region. This is from Chang (2001).


Here is a great interpretation showing how the Island of Taiwan is being uplifted and exhumed. This is from Lin (2002).


Needless to say, this is an excellent map showing the complicated faulting of this region. This is from Theunissen et al. (2012).

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