What's an 'Earthquake Swarm,' And Is One Hitting Taiwan?
Several people have been killed and dozens remain unaccounted for as a series of quakes rattle the region. But are these earthquakes part of a cycle?
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake shook northeastern Taiwan Tuesday night, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 250 others. More than 100 aftershocks have been reported to rattle the region, rocking buildings, buckling roads, and cutting off resources to thousands of families. Dozens of people are still unaccounted for.
So what's causing all these quakes? Some are calling the disaster an "earthquake swarm," but others are more hesitant.
An earthquake swarm happens when a large number of quakes hit a single area in a relatively short period of time, usually within days or weeks. One earthquake must be identified as the main shock, and the rest are subsequent aftershocks. A swarm hit Reno, Nevada, in mid-January when
