Myanmar Earthquake: Origin, Impact, and Geological Context

Key Points

• 1The earthquake, of magnitude 7.7, occurred in central Myanmar on March 28, near Mandalay, and was followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock.
• 2The damage zone extended to Bangkok, Thailand, approximately 1,000 km from the epicenter, including the collapse of a building under construction.
• 3The Sagaing fault, a strike-slip fault, is a major tectonic feature in the region, and the depth of the earthquake was 10 km.
• 4The 2004 earthquake of magnitude 9.2 and a transcontinental tsunami originated from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian Plates.
• 5Historical records show a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in 1839 that killed over 500 people and a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in 1946.
• 6The 2025 earthquake is a part of the earthquakes occurring sequentially to release the accumulating stresses from the ongoing active plate interactions.
• 7The damage prediction models by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the total death toll in the region could reach well over 10,000.