Thursday 25 August 2016

Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake in the Magway Region of Myanmar results in at least four deaths.


The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake at a depth of 84 km about 25 km to the north of the town of Chauk in the Magway Region of Myanmar, slightly before 5.05 pm local time (slightly before 10.35 am GMT) on Wednesday 24 August 2016. The event was felt across most of northern and central Myanmar, and is reported to have resulted in at least four deaths, as well as damage to a large number of buildings. A Tobacco factory is reported to have collapsed in the town of Pakkoku, while damage has been reported to numerous pagodas and other religious structures across several regions as well as to the parliament building in Nay Pyi Taw.

Damage to a temple structure in Myanmar following the 24 August 2016 Earthquake. Arirang News.

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 24 August 2016 Magway Earthquake. Earthquake Report/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...

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Landslide kills at least five at mine in Kachin State, Myanmar.                                         Five people have been confirmed dead and as many as fifty more may be missing following a landslide at a jade mine at Hpakant in Kachin State, Myanmar, on Friday 25 December 2015. The precise number of people involved is unclear because the...


Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake in Sagaing Region, Myanmar.

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...



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