Myanmar seismologists warn of major inactive fault
NAYPYITAW (Eleven Media Group/ ANN) - In the wake of seismic activity on March 13, Myanmar seismologists warn about the Sagaing fault line which has been inactive for over 80 years.
An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale hit Titegyi Township in Yangon Region on March 13 and was followed by weaker tremors. Experts reassure not to be worried about aftershocks.
“We have a hypothesis that the western Bago Range fault caused the quake. According to our records, the fault had not been very active in the past. It used to trigger one or two tremors of around magnitude five in a year. The March 13 one was followed by three to four weaker tremors, so I think there won’t be any more major earthquakes,” said Dr Myo Thant of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee.
The March 13 earthquake happened five kilometres below the ground and wounded 26 residents of Titegyi and ravaged over 40 buildings.
The committee has warned that the 1,000-kilometre long Sagaing fault stretching from northern corner to Martaban Gulf can trigger earthquakes as powerful as magnitude seven.
Yangon is located near the Sagaing fault line and will be hit hard if there is an earthquake.
The fault caused a seven-magnitude earthquake in 1930 that killed 50 people in Yangon and 500 in Bago.
Myanmar has five major fault lines, making it one of the more earthquake-prone countries. The Sagaing fault was last active in 2011, and the other four are the Kabaw fault in the West, the Kyaukkyan fault in northern Shan State, the Thanlwin fault under the Thanlwin River and the Rakhine fault in Rakhine State.
A 6.8-magnitude tremor, centred 25 kilometres west of Chauk in Magwe Region, struck on August 24 and damaged hundreds of ancient pagodas and religious buildings in Bagan.
There were talks among the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, Yangon City Development Committee and the UN in December to jointly conduct a seismic-resistance test on 50 buildings in Yangon’s 37 townships.
