Sagaing Fault

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, running for a total lenght of over 1200 kilometers.[1][2]

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

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.[3]

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.[4] The measured maximum displacement along the fault is about 100 km, although several authors have proposed between 360 km to 400 km.[5]

Associated seismicity

See also: List of Earthquakes in Myanmar

• 1839 Ava Earthquake: Powerful quake that destroyed the city of Inwa.[6]
• 1930 Bago Earthquake: Magnitude 7.5 quake and likely a local tsunami at Bago, causing over 500 deaths.[7][8]
• 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.[9]
• 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

• Geography of Myanmar
• Geology of Myanmar

References

1. 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.
2. Wang, Yu (2011). "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.
3. SOE THURA TUN, WATKINSON. "The Sagaing Fault" (PDF). Myanmar: Geology, Resources and Tectonics. Geological Society, London, Memoir.
4. 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.
5. "Active tectonics of Myanmar and the Andaman Sea". Myanmar: Geology, Resources and Tectonics. 48. 2017.
6. Htoo, Thant (2019-08-07). "Govt unveils quake preparedness plan". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
7. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA (1972). "Comments for the siginificant earthquake". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
8. United States Geological Survey. "M7.5 - Myanmar". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
9. United States Geological Survey. "M8.0 - Myanmar". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-30.

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