Earthquake, Mud Volcano Eruption Connected? 萬丹泥火山噴發 不排除與地震有關聯

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck Taitung on April 8. It measured a 4 in the Hengchun Peninsula, the strongest this year so far. Earlier, a mud volcano erupted in Pingtung's Wandan. Experts believe the two events may be related.

The mud volcano erupted at 5 a.m. and was still spewing mud at 9 a.m., leaving roads and nearby fields covered in mud. The volcano erupted at the same spot last October. The area has been closed off and local farmers opened their sluice gates to expel the mud from their fields and minimize damage.

Local Resident: “(I heard) this is the third (eruption in the same spot.)”

Ms. Chen, Farmer: “I'm using water to get the mud out of my fields. Otherwise, all my (rice) will be destroyed.”

Two hours after the mud volcano began erupting, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Taitung. The tremor measured a 4 in the Hengchun peninsula, the strongest so far this year. Experts say the two events could be related.

Hsueh Chuan-yi, Director, Hengchun Weather Station: “Earthquakes cause surface tremors, which produce cracks that could expand the size of (mud volcanos). This may or may not happen.”

The weather station says earthquakes can cause larger mud volcano eruptions or shift the mouth of the volcanos. The area around the volcano was sealed off because this was already the third time it has erupted. A local resident says based on past experience, the eruption will last for 24 hours.

從清晨5時噴發到上午9時多，泥火山還是沒有趨緩的狀況，廟外的空地滿是泥漿，不但漫到馬路，也流入鄰近農田。這是繼去年10月噴發後，又在同一處噴發口冒出，相關單位拉起封鎖線，農民更是一早就打開水閘門，想將泥漿排出稻田，否則泥漿淹沒的面積越大，死去的作物更多。

當地居民說：「同一處三次，這次第三次。」

農民陳女士則說：「我要打水，要把它排出去，要把泥漿弄出，不然（稻田）它會死掉、會枯萎。」

面對這樣的狀況，農民雖然無奈也只能苦笑接受，只是泥火山5時多噴發，清晨7時36分台東也發生芮氏規模5.6的地震，恆春氣象站表示恆春半島測得4級震度，是近年來恆春地區較大的地震，由於近來大小地震不斷，也不排除泥火山噴發跟地震有關聯。

屏東恆春氣象站主任薛全義指出：「顯著的地震的時候，因為地表會產生比較明顯的震動，那在地表處，它可能產生不一樣的裂縫或者壁痕的時候，那可能會（泥火山）變得比較大，或者有些地方就可能沒有。」

氣象站表示，地震的確可能讓泥火山出現噴發量變大或噴發口轉移的狀況，而這處噴發口包括8日噴發在內，已經第3次噴發，雖然拉起封鎖線警戒，但當地居民說，預估得持續噴發24小時才會停止。