Shallow earthquakes have a greater impact near the epicenter than deeper ones do. The big earthquake that hit the counties of Hsinchu and Taichung in 1935, for example, raised the earth in some places by as much as three meters, but last week's earthquake in the township of Chichi lifted the ground five meters in some places. This earthquake resulted in greater vertical and lateral displacement than we have seen in the past.
相較於過去幾次大地震，如民國二十四年新竹、台中大地震將地面擠壓隆起三公尺的情況，這次的集集大地震，最大垂直位移達五公尺，再加上並同的水平位移，造成強震超過以往。