Sagaing Fault
| Sagaing Fault | |
|---|---|
 A pressure ridge formed along the fault, obscured by vegetation. | |
| Coordinates | 21°55'06.8"N 95°59'01.6"E |
| Country | Myanmar |
| Cities | Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw, Meiktila, Mandalay, Myitkyina |
| Characteristics | |
| Segments | Southern section: Bago, Pyu, Nay Pyi Taw, Meiktila, Sagaing. Northern section: Tawma, Ban Mauk, Indaw, Mawlu, Shaduzup, Kamaing, Mogang |
| Length | 1,400 km |
| Displacement | 18-20 mm/yr (0.71-0.79 in/yr) |
| Tectonics | |
| Status | Active |
| Type | Transform fault |
| Movement | Dextral |
| Age | 15-22 MYA |
The Sagaing Fault is a major fault in Burma, a mainly continental right-lateral transform fault between the Indian Plate and Sunda Plate. It links the divergent boundary in the Andaman Sea with the zone of active continental collision along the Himalayan front. It passes through populated cities of Mandalay, Yamethin, Pyinmana, the capital Naypyidaw, Toungoo and Pegu before dropping off into the Gulf of Martaban, over 1200 kilometers.[1][2]
Geomorphology
The Sagaing Fault begins offshore in the Andaman Sea before passing through the central Myanmar basin. The fault has a relatively low topographical relief for most of its length compared to the Shan Scarp Fault to the west.
Slip rate and displacement
The total slip rate across the Indian–Sunda Plate boundary is about 35 mm/yr, of which 18 mm/yr is accommodated by the Sagaing Fault, according to GPS data.[3] The measured maximum displacement along the fault is about 100 km, although several authors have proposed between 360 km to 400 km.[4]
Earthquakes
See also: List of Earthquakes in Myanmar
The Sagaing Fault has produced several major earthquakes along various segments in historical years:
- 1839 Ava Earthquake: Powerful quake that destroyed the city of Inwa.[5]
- 1930 Bago Earthquake: Magnitude 7.3 quake and likely a local tsunami at Bago, causing over 500 deaths.[6][7]
- 1930 Pyu Earthquake: Magnitude 7.4 event with an intensity of IX resulted in great destruction and deaths.
- 1931 Myitkyina Earthquake: On January 28, a large magnitude 7.6 quake struck Kachin State.
- 1946 Sagaing Earthquake: A Magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Sagaing Region on September 12.[8]
- 1956 Sagaing Earthquake: Magnitude 7.1 quake resulted in over 30 deaths.
- 2012 Shwebo Earthquake: Magnitude 6.8 quake killed 26 people and left 12 missing.
See also
References
- ^ Win, Nilar (August 25–31, 2008). "Sagaing Fault surveyed to prepare for future quakes". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
- ^ Wang, Yu. "Earthquakes and slip rate of the southern Sagaing fault: insights from an offset ancient fort wall, lower Burma (Myanmar)" (PDF). Geophysical Journal International. 185: 49–64. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04918.x.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Tsutsumi, H.; Sato, T. (2009). "Tectonic geomorphology of the southernmost Sagaing fault and surface rupture associated with the May 1930 Pegu (Bago) earthquake, Myanmar". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 99 (4): 2155–2168. doi:10.1785/0120080113.
- ^ "Active tectonics of Myanmar and the Andaman Sea" (PDF). Myanmar: Geology, Resources and Tectonics. 48. 2017.
- ^ Htoo, Thant (2019-08-07). "Govt unveils quake preparedness plan". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. "Comments for the siginificant earthquake". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K.
- ^ United States Geological Survey. "M7.5 - Myanmar". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ United States Geological Survey. "M8.0 - Myanmar". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- Earth Observatory of Singapore: Myanmar earthquake of March 24th - Magnitude 6.8 (Regional Tectonics Explained)
- In-depth Sagaing Fault Study of 2012 quake
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