New Delhi: According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), an earthquake of 4.5 magnitude occurred in Myanmar on Sunday. This earthquake was felt at a depth of 107 kilometers. NCS said in its post on Twitter, “EQ of M: 4.5, On: 15/03/2026 16:33:04 IST, Lat: 24.50 N, Long: 95.01 E, Depth: 107 Km, Location: Myanmar.”
Earlier on Saturday too, an earthquake of 4.4 magnitude had occurred in Myanmar, which occurred at a depth of 90 kilometers. NCS posted on
Let us tell you, earthquakes can occur up to about 700 kilometers below the earth’s surface. For scientific purposes, according to the USGS (United States Geological Survey), earthquake depths of 0 – 700 kilometers are divided into three zones:
- shallow earthquake (0-70km)
- medium deep earthquake (70-300km)
- deep earthquake (300-700 km)
The USGS says the term “deep-focus earthquake” is used for earthquakes whose depth is greater than 70 km.
Four tectonic plates—the Indian, Eurasian, Sunda, and Burma plates—collide near Myanmar, making it prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. Myanmar’s coastline is vulnerable to earthquakes of medium and large intensity.
The 1400 km long transform fault passing over Myanmar and the Sagaing Fault connecting the Andaman spreading center increase the risk of earthquakes. The Sagaing Fault increases earthquake risk for the Mandalay, Bago and Yangon regions, which are home to about 46 percent of Myanmar’s population.
Although Yangon is far from the fault trace, its dense population makes it vulnerable to earthquakes. For example, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Bago in 1903 was also felt in Yangon.
Earthquake activity in Myanmar is frequent, and the country’s geographical location puts it at risk from earthquakes and tsunamis. The region is particularly prone to earthquakes due to the Sagaing Fault and other active tectonic plates.
Comments are closed.