Northern Taiwan’s three nuclear power plants are situated in a geological zone less likely than other areas of the country to be hit by major earthquakes, according to the ROC National Science Council May 1.
This conclusion is based on the results of two NSC-sponsored studies exploring mountain formation processes and the structure of the earth’s crust—Taiwan Geodynamic Researches (TAIGER) and Across Taiwan Strait Explosion Experiment—the council said at a news conference in Taipei City.
TAIGER was a cooperative project with the U.S., while ATSEE was carried out between Taiwan and mainland Chinese scientists.
Wang Chien-ying, professor of earth sciences at National Central University, said, “Under TAIGER, we found that the layer north of Taoyuan is 30 kilometers thick, with no mountain roots.
“This means the orogenic process in the north has been completed and the crust is stable.”
Data from both projects showed that there are mountain roots under the Central Mountain Range, where the crust is as thick as 45 kilometers, indicating that mountain formation is still going on in the region.
The Central Mountains are the spine of Taiwan proper, stretching from Yilan County in the east to Pingtung County in the south. The thickness of the earth’s crust determines the altitude of a mountain range, Wang noted.
Taiwan has three operational nuclear power facilities—Chinshan and Kuosheng in New Taipei City, and Maanshan in Pingtung. The Lungmen plant in Gongliao District, New Taipei City, is yet to be completed. (KML-THN)
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