1988 Myanmar–India earthquake
UTC time | 1988-08-06 00:36:24 |
---|---|
ISC event | 428070 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 6 August 1988 |
Local time | 7:06 am |
Duration | 2 minutes |
Magnitude | 7.3 Mw 7.5 ML |
Depth | 90.5 km |
Epicenter | 25°08′56″N 95°07′37″E / 25.149°N 95.127°ECoordinates: 25°08′56″N 95°07′37″E / 25.149°N 95.127°E |
Type | Oblique-reverse |
Areas affected | Myanmar, India and Bangladesh |
Max. intensity | VIII (Severe)[1] |
Landslides | Yes |
Casualties | 3 dead and 12 injured in India 2 dead and 30 injured or missing in Bangladesh |
The 1988 Myanmar–India earthquake, also known as the Indo-Burma earthquake struck the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the border with India on 6 August at 7:06 am MMT with a moment magnitude of 7.3. It was the largest earthquake in the world that year, after a Mw 7.8 in the Gulf of Alaska. Five people were killed, and more than 30 left injured or missing as a result.[2][3] Serious damage were reported in India and Bangladesh, while some minor damage occurred in Myanmar. The earthquake was reportedly felt in the Soviet Union.
Earthquake[edit]
The earthquake was located in a rather remote area, over 200 miles (320 km) from Mandalay, Myanmar and Shillong, India, although many small settlements including Homalin, Maungkan, Hta Man Thi and Kawya lie close to it.[4] West of where the earthquake nucleated lies the Chin Hills-Arakan Range, a mountain belt formed by the collision of the Indian and Burma Plate, similar to the continental collision seen in the Himalayas. Focal mechanism indicated oblique-reverse faulting at an intermediate depth.[5] The earthquake likely occurred within the subducting Indian Plate. Shaking was felt for 2 minutes.
Damage, casualties and effects[edit]
Two people were killed and 30 injured or missing in Bangladesh after seiches formed in the Jamuna River at Dhaka caused a ferry boat to capsize.[6] An additional two lost their lives in Northern India. Large-scale landslides, fissures and liquefaction events were reported in India and Bangladesh. Subsidence of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) was recorded in Gauhati, India. It was felt throughout Bangladesh and northeastern India, including Calcutta. The earthquake was also felt in parts of northwestern Myanmar and Kathmandu, Nepal. Shaking from the earthquake caused significant damage to human infrastructures, railroads, and roadways.[1]
At Assam, India, severe liquefaction caused damages roads and bridges of National Highway 37. A Hotel Regale in Silchar suffered extensively due to liquefaction, the floors had subsided and walls cracked. A section of an embankment slumped away, leaving a railroad between Borlongphar and Langchiliet hanging 8 meters above the ground.[7]
On August 21 that same year, a smaller but deadlier earthquake would affect the India and Nepal region again.
See also[edit]
- List of earthquakes in Myanmar
- List of earthquakes in India
- List of earthquakes in 1988
- 1988 Lancang earthquake — Second major earthquake to strike Burma in the same year
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J. R. Kayal (2008). Microearthquake Seismology and Seismotectonics of South Asia (1 ed.). Springer, Dordrecht. p. 287. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8180-4. ISBN 978-1-4020-8180-4. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ↑ Pandey, Auchitya Kumar; Chingtham, Prasanta; Roy, P. N. S. (2017). "Homogeneous earthquake catalogue for Northeast region of India using robust statistical approaches". Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk. 8 (2): 1477–1491. doi:10.1080/19475705.2017.1345794. S2CID 133793886 – via Taylor & Francis.
- ↑ "Earthquake Event Information MYANMAR (BURMA); INDIA: GAUHATI, SIBSAGAR, IMPHAL". NGDC.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "7.3 Earthquake Rocks India-Burma Border". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ "Focal Mechanism". US Geological Survey.
- ↑ "Tsunami Event Information BANGLADESH". NGDC.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ M. K. Gupta (4 June 1993). "Liquefaction During 1988 Earthquakes and a Case Study". Third International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering – via Missouri University of Science and Technology.