Taiwan Skyscraper Causing Earthquakes?

According to Associated Press reports published in Wired, the weight of the world's tallest skyscraper - specially built to withstand Taiwan's frequent earthquakes - could be causing a rise in the number of tremors beneath.

Lin Cheng-horng, an earthquake specialist at the National Taiwan Normal University, says the Taipei 101 building (named for the number of floors) might rest on an earthquake fault line.

In the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters, Lin wrote that the pressure of the building's 700,000 tons on the ground may be leading to increased seismic activity.

However, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau countered, saying that the one year since the building's completion was too short a period in which we can evaluate its effect on tremors.

Taipei 101 (right), which looks like a giant steel-and-glass bamboo shoot, is equipped with a 733-ton ball suspended near the top that moves to counter the force of earthquakes or strong winds.

AP via Wired.
Photo credit: NPR