Myanmar is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Oblique subduction, block rotation, and a transform margin has been responsible for the seismic activities of the country. The Sagaing Fault is one of the largest sources of earthquakes in the country, having produced deadly quakes in the past centuries. Along the western coast, offshore Rahkine State, the Sunda Megathrust, where the Indian Plate dives beneath the Burma Plate is capable of producing large events and tsunamis like the 2004 earthquake. Intermediate depth earthquakes east of the Chin Range also pose a risk to people. The Shan Plateau is another source of earthquakes, hosting many active strike-slip faults that accommodate block rotation of the Sunda Plate. [1]
Notable earthquakes in the history of Myanmar include the following:
Date | Location | Mag. | MMI | Depth (km) | Deaths | Injuries | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023-06-07 | Ma-ubin | 4.8 mb | VII | 10.0 | 3 | Several buildings and a pagoda damaged in Ma-ubin. | [2] | |
2022-07-21 | Keng Tung | 5.9 Mww | VII | 5.0 | Damage in Keng Tung. Also felt in China, Thailand, and Laos. | [3] | ||
2021-11-26 | Hakha | 6.2 Mww | VIII | 42.5 | 1 | Minor damage also occurred in Bangladesh. | [4] | |
2018-01-11 | Bago | 6.0 Mww | VII | 9.0 | Felt strongly in many places. | [5] | ||
2017-03-13 | Yangon | 5.1 mb | VI | 10.0 | 2 | 36 | [6] | |
2016-08-24 | Magway | 6.8 Mw | VI | 84.1 | 4 | 20 | Several temples were damaged | |
2016-04-13 | Sagaing | 6.9 Mw | VI | 134.8 | 2 | 120 | ||
2016-01-04 | Imphal | 6.7 Mww | VIII | 55.0 | 11 | 200+ | ||
2014-05-23 | Kachin | 5.6 Mw | VII | 8.0 | 15 | |||
2012-11-11 | Sagaing | 6.8 Mw | VIII | 9.8 | 26 | Many | 12 missing | |
2011-03-24 | Shan | 6.9 Mw | IX | 12.8 | 151 | 212 | ||
2011-03-10 | Kachin | 5.4 Mw | VII | 10.0 | 26 | 313 | ||
2011-02-04 | Monywa | 6.4 Mw | VI | 85.0 | 1 | [7] | ||
2009-08-11 | Coco Islands | 7.5 Mw | VII | 24.0 | ||||
2008-08-21 | Kachin | 6.0 Mw | VII | 10.0 | 5 | 130 | ||
2007-12-25 | Kachin | 4.8 Mw | IV | 35.0 | 19 | Severe damage | [8] | |
2004-12-26 | Coco Islands | 9.1–9.3 Mw | - | 30.0 | 70–800 | Rupture extended to the Coco Islands | ||
2003-09-21 | Magway | 6.6 Mwb | VII | 15.8 | 10 | 43 | Damage at Taungdwingyi | |
1997-11-21 | Chittagong | 6.1 Mw | VI | 54.4 | 23 | 200 | ||
1995-07-11 | Shan | 6.8 Mw | VIII | 12.5 | 11 | [9] | ||
1991-01-05 | Sagaing | 7.0 Mw | VII | 19.7 | 2 | [10] | ||
1988-11-06 | Shan | 7.2 Ms | X | 15.9 | Aftershock of the Lancang earthquake. | |||
1988-11-06 | Shan | 7.7 Mw | IX | 17.8 | 730–938 | 3,900 | [11] | |
1988-08-06 | Sagaing | 7.3 Mw | VIII | 98.1 | 3 | 30 | Caused some damage in India and was felt in the Soviet Union. At least 30 injured or missing in Bangladesh. | [12] |
1976-05-29 | Yunnan | 7.0 Mw | 10.0 | 98 | 2,400+ | |||
1975-07-08 | Mandalay | 7.0 Mw | VIII | 106.8 | 2 | 15 | ||
1970-07-29 | Sagaing | 7.0 Mw | 76.1 | Damage at Assam. | [13] | |||
1956-07-16 | Sagaing | 7.1 Mw | VIII | 34.3 | 38 | |||
1954-03-21 | Sagaing | 7.4 mb | 180.0 | Some damage reported in India. | [14] | |||
1952-06-19 | Shan | 6.7 Mw | VIII | 10.0 | Homes collapsed and landslides occurred in Yunnan. | [15] | ||
1950-08-15 | Assam | 8.6 Mw | XI | 15.0 | 4,800 | Rupture partially extended to Burma and was felt strongly | [16] | |
1946-09-12 | Sagaing | 7.8 Mw | 15.0 | 0 | Doublet earthquake | |||
1946-09-12 | Sagaing | 8.0 Mw | 15.0 | 0 | ||||
1943-10-23 | Chin | 7.2 | [17] | |||||
1941-12-26 | Shan | 7.2 Mw | 10.0 | >6 | [18] | |||
1938-08-16 | Chin | 7.2 Ms | 75.0 | [19] | ||||
1932-08-14 | Sagaing | 7.0 Ms | 110.0 | Damage at Assam | [20] | |||
1931-01-27 | Kachin | 7.6 Mw | IX | 15.0 | 0 | |||
1930-12-03 | Bago | 7.3 Mw | X | 10.0 | 36 | |||
1930-07-18 | Irrawaddy | 50 | [21] [22] | |||||
1930-05-05 | Bago | 7.5 Mw | X | 35.0 | 558+ | 204+ | Tsunami | |
1929-08-08 | Naypyidaw | 6.6–7.1 Mw | 10.0–15.0 | Caused some damage. | [23] | |||
1929-01-19 | Kachin | 5.5 Ms | IX | Damage at Htawgaw. | [24] | |||
1927-12-17 | Yangon | ~7.0 Mw | Severe damage in northern Yangon | [25] | ||||
1923-06-22 | Shan | 7.2 Mw | 25.0 | [26] | ||||
1922-05-02 | Shan | 6.7 Mw | 35.0 | [27] | ||||
1917-07-05 | Bago | Shwemawdaw Pagoda fell. | ||||||
1912-05-23 | Shan | 7.8Mw | IX | 15–25.0 | 1(?) | Several cities damaged | [28] | |
1908-12-12 | Kachin | 7.2 Mw | 15.0 | [29] [30] | ||||
1908-12-12 | Kachin | 7.2 Mw | 15.0 | [31] | ||||
1906-08 | Northern Sagaing Fault | 7.0 Mw | [32] [33] | |||||
1906-06-24 | Coco Islands | 7.3 Muk [1] | 60.0 km | 0 | [1] [34] | |||
1895/1896 | Yangon | Destroyed many buildings in Rangoon. | ||||||
1858-08-24 | Magway | 7.7 Mw | ? | An island disappeared. | [35] [36] [37] [1] | |||
1843-10-30 | Rahkine | May have triggered a tsunami. | [37] | |||||
1842-11-11 | Rahkine | Tsunami recorded at Cheduba Island. | [37] | |||||
1848-01-03 | Rahkine | 6.8–7.2 Mw | ? | Severe shaking at Ramree Island. | [38] [39] | |||
1839-03-23 | Mandalay | 8.1–8.2 Mw | XI | 12-15.0 | 500+ | Former capital city Inwa destroyed and abandoned. | ||
1762-04-02 | Chittagong-Rahkine | 8.8 Mw | XI | 200+ | Tsunami | |||
1757-06-04 | Bago | [25] | ||||||
1750 | Rahkine | [40] | ||||||
1714-08-04 | Sagaing | Waves from a river flooded a nearby city. | [41] | |||||
1620-06-06 | Mandalay | Fishes in the Irrawaddy River were killed. | [25] | |||||
1564-09-13 | Bago | Mahazedi Pagoda destroyed. | [25] | |||||
1485-07-24 | Sagaing | Several pagodas fell. | [25] | |||||
1467 | Innwa | [42] | ||||||
1429 | Innwa | [42] | ||||||
Note: Only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. |
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Sources