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.
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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