Taiwan Earthquake Just a Year Ago

And speaking of cable cuts that massively disrupt global communications, it was just over a year ago, in December 2006, when an earthquake took out a number of Pacific cables.

Those cable cuts took out much voice and Internet communications in many parts of Asia, as well as 60 percent of capacity between Asia and the United States.

The 2006 Hengchun earthquake occurred on December 26, 2006 at 12:25 UTC (20:25 local time), with an epicenter off the southwest coast of Taiwan, approximately 22.8 km west southwest of Hengchun, Pingtung County, Taiwan, with an exact hypocenter 21.9 km deep in the Luzon Strait ( [show location on an interactive map] 21.89° N 120.56° E), which connects the South China Sea with the Philippine Sea.