RELEVANT DEBATE OF HISTORICAL TAIWAN EARTHQUAKES

Earthquake parameters determination from macroseismic data is a procedure, the reliability of whose results can be impaired by many problems related to quality, number and distribution if data. Such problems are common with ancient, sketchily documented events, but affect even comparatively recent earthquakes. In order to figure out the relationships between historical earthquakes and the associated faults, the historical documents from 1604 t0 1897 are restudied. We made some important improvements in the method of editing and supplemented many new materials. Accompanying anomalous phenomena before and after earthquake occurrence were included in the description of earthquake phenomena. Comparing the isoseismal map and the trajectory of surface faulting with relocated epicenters, it can be found that results of this study may be more reasoning than the previous studies. The following points are noted: 1. seven of earthquake tsunamis (1683, 1721, 1781, 1792, 1866, 1867) occurred in the western and northern Taiwan; 2. there are several features suggest that the two earthquakes (1683, 1846) were induced by meteorites but has not been reported before; 3. nine of the surface ruptures (1604, 1661, 1662, 1694, 1720, 1792, 1816, 1867, 1882) occurred in Taiwan, but five ruptures (1683, 1694, 1720, 1792, 1816) reinterpreted associated with earthquake faults. According to the paleo-map and archaeological studies of the 1694 earthquake; the Kanshi Taipei Lake is caused by earthquake faulting is witnessed.