On April 3rd at 7:58 AM, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the waters off Hualien County, Taiwan. Subsequent aftershocks have been ongoing. As of 7 AM on April 4th, there have been as many as 29 aftershocks measuring 4.0 or higher, with the highest reaching 6.0 magnitude.
According to media reports, just before the recent strong earthquake occurred, there was a special photo circulating online showing an "omen" in the sky, with many people believing it to be earthquake clouds, indicating an earthquake precursor.
On the evening of April 2nd, a netizen posted a particularly unique photo of the sunset, stating that the sky looked strange but beautifully captivating, displaying various colors such as orange, pink-purple, azure, deep blue, and more.
Someone replied saying that although the sky looked beautiful, it gave them a feeling reminiscent of the evening before the "9·21" major earthquake in 1999, saying, "It's scary, be careful."
After the earthquake struck, this comment received over 110,000 likes.
Dr. Dai Ligang, from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at China University of Culture, asserts that currently, humans cannot predict earthquakes; they can only observe them. The so-called "sky anomalies" are likely terrain-induced cloud formations brought in by the southwest wind belt. Due to limitations in technology, it's impossible to determine whether these are indeed "earthquake clouds."
He further notes that the aftershocks of this earthquake are quite frequent, which is not typical for strong earthquakes in the eastern region. He emphasizes, "The eastern part experiences plate earthquakes, and this aspect requires further observation in the future."
In fact, the notion of "earthquake clouds" often arises after major earthquakes. The Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management has previously stated that the entire process of cloud formation occurs within the atmosphere, whereas earthquakes happen within the lithosphere. Therefore, there isn't sufficient scientific evidence to prove that clouds can predict earthquakes.
In the past decade, China has experienced four earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher. Apart from the recent one, there was the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Wushi, Xinjiang on January 23, 2024, the 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Maduo, Qinghai on May 22, 2021, and the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan on August 8, 2017.
