Myanmar Earthquake: Magnitude 7.7 Hits Mandalay, Devastates Region

An earthquake with 7. 7 magnitude hit central Myanmar on March 28. The tremour was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres. Mandalay, which is the nation’s second-largest metropolis, had skilled intense shaking, whereas tremours had been felt in China and Thailand. A second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 adopted some minutes later. Several aftershocks between magnitudes 4.4 and 4.9 had been recorded as effectively. Reports acknowledged that at the least 144 folks misplaced their lives. 732 others had been injured. Buildings collapsed throughout affected areas. It included a monastery, a high-rise under-construction constructing in Bangkok, leading to 10 deaths. Sixteen folks had been injured. 101 folks nonetheless stay lacking.

Sagaing Fault Identified because the Source

According to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake originated from the Sagaing Fault. This fault extends over 1,600 kilometres by means of Myanmar in direction of the Andaman Sea. Earthquakes alongside this fault happen on account of horizontal motion of landmasses, classifying them as strike-slip occasions. The same fault construction is present in California’s San Andreas Fault. Gregory Beroza, Professor of Geophysics at Stanford University, informed Live Science that given the earthquake’s measurement, the tremors’ attain was anticipated.

Seismic Activity Linked to Plate Movements

Reports point out that Myanmar’s seismic exercise is influenced by the continuing motion of the Indian Plate. Ben van der Pluijm, Professor Emeritus of Geology on the University of Michigan, informed Live Science that India has been pushing northward for tens of millions of years. Significant seismic stress has resulted from its collision with the Eurasian Plate. Major earthquakes launch the power that has been amassed by this fixed movement.

Likeness to Previous Earthquakes

Jeffrey Park, a Yale University professor of earth and planetary sciences, told Live Science that the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Myanmar had been comparable. The occasion was extraordinarily harmful due to the shallow depth and closely populated areas. According to USGS information, at the least six earthquakes with a magnitude of seven or increased have occurred inside 250 kilometres of the newest one since 1900. The most extreme occurred in 1912 and had a magnitude of seven.9.

Authorities are nonetheless evaluating the total extent of the injury as rescue efforts proceed.