The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake at a depth of 22 km about 50 km to the north of Monywa in the Sagaing Region, Myanmar, slightly before 3.05 pm local
time (slightly before 8.35 am GMT) on Friday 27 November 2015. There
are no reports of any casualties arising from this event,but damage to numerous pagodas (religious shrines) has been reported in the area.
Damage to a pagoda in Sagaing Region, Myanmar, following the 27 November 2015 Earthquake. Earthquake Report.
Northern Myanmar is an area fairly prone to Earthquakes Much of Myanmar lies on the Burma Plate, a small tectonic plate caught between the Eurasian Plate to the northeast, the Indian Plate to the west and southwest and the Sunda Plate to the southeast. As these larger plates move together the Burma Plate is being squeezed and fractured, with a major fault line, the Kabaw Fault, having formed across much of the north of the country, along which the Burma Plate is slowly splitting. Most Earthquakes in the region are caused by movement on this fault.
The approximate location of the 27 November 2015 Sagaing Earthquake. Google Maps.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
Hundreds feared dead following landslide at Myanmar jade mine One hundred and five people have now been confirmed dead and over a
hundred are still thought to be missing following a landslide at a jade
mine at Hpakant in Kachin State, Myanmar on Saturday 21 November 2015...
Landslide injures four in Magwe Region, Myanmar. Four people have been injured following a landslide at the Ayeyarwady
Bridge in the Magwe Region of Myanmar on Thursday 15 October. The
incident happened at about 10.00 am local time on the Minbu...
Eruption on Barren Island. The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center issued
a warning to aviation after an ash column was spotted over Barren
Island, an active volcano in the Andaman Islands, by the Japan Meteorological Agency's MTSAT-2
satellite on Saturday 6 June 2015. The ash column rose about 3 km above
the volcano and drifted about 35 km to the east. Observations in
infra-red also spotted a hotspot on the island, which may indicate hot
lava on...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.