1988 Myanmar–India earthquake
  1988 Myanmar–India earthquake (South Asia) | |
| UTCtime | 1988-08-06 00:36:24 |
|---|---|
| ISCevent | 428070 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 6 August 1988 |
| Local time | 7:06 am |
| Duration | 2 minutes |
| Magnitude | 7.3Mw 7.5ML |
| Depth | 90.5 km |
| Epicenter | 25°08′56″N95°07′37″E/ 25.149°N 95.127°E |
| Type | Oblique-reverse |
| Areas affected | Myanmar, India and Bangladesh |
| Max.intensity | MMI VIII (Severe)[1] |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Casualties | 3 dead and 12 injured in India 2 dead, 30 injured and 30 missing in Bangladesh |
The1988 Myanmar–India earthquake,also known as theIndo–Burma earthquakestruck theSagaing RegionofMyanmar,about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the border withIndiaon 6 August at 7:06 amMMTwith amoment magnitude(Mw ) of 7.3 orRichter magnitude(ML ) of 7.5.[2]At least five people were killed, more than 30 were injured, and another 30 were missing as a result.[3][4]Serious damage was reported in India andBangladesh,while some minor damage occurred in Myanmar. The earthquake was reportedly felt in theSoviet Union.
Tectonic setting[edit]
Myanmar lies at region where theIndian,BurmaandEurasianplatescollide;with the Burma Plate wedged between. The north-northeast motion of the Indian Plate towards the Eurasian Plate has resulted in the formation of two major plate boundaries along the Burma Plate; theSagaing Faultto the east, and a complexconvergent boundaryaccommodatingoblique subductionof the Indian Plate beneath Myanmar.Subductionof the Indian Plate occur along the Arakan Megathrust; the northern continuation of theSunda Megathrust;capable of generating an earthquake greater than magnitude 8.0. The Mw 8.5–8.8Arakan earthquake of 1762is believed to be a thrusting earthquake on the Arakan Megathrust.[5]
Intermediate-depthintraslab earthquakes occur as a result of faulting within the subducting Indian Plate beneath the Burma Plate. These earthquakes have hypocenter depths that range from 60 kilometres (37 mi) to greater than 200 kilometres (120 mi). Earthquakes including the Mw 7.01975 Bagan earthquake,as well as theAprilandAugustearthquakes of 2016 were associated with intermediate-depth intraslab activity.[6]
Earthquake[edit]
The earthquake had an epicenter location in a remote and sparsely populated area, more than 200 miles (320 km) fromMandalay,Myanmar andShillong,India.Many small settlements however, includingHomalin,Maungkan,Hta Man ThiandKawyawere in close proximity to the location of the quake.[7]West of where the earthquake nucleated, lies theChin Hills-Arakan Range,a mountain belt formed by the collision of theIndianandBurma Plate,similar to thecontinental collisionseen in theHimalayas.Thefocal mechanismof this event indicated oblique-reversefaultingat an intermediate depth of 90 km within the Indian Plate.[8]
Impact[edit]
Two people were killed, 30 were injured and another 30 were missing inBangladeshafterseichesformed in theJamuna RiveratDhaka,causing aferry boattocapsize.[4][9]An additional two lost their lives in Northern India. Large-scale landslides, fissures and liquefaction events were reported in India and Bangladesh.Subsidenceof 20 centimetres (7.9 in) was recorded inGauhati,India. It was felt throughout Bangladesh and northeastern India, includingCalcutta.The earthquake was also felt in parts of northwestern Myanmar andKathmandu,Nepal.Shaking from the earthquake caused significant damage to human infrastructures, railroads, and roadways.[1]
Shaking from the earthquake was felt throughout northeast India with a Modified Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong).[10]InAssam,India, severe liquefaction severely damaged roads and bridges in theNational Highway 37system. Hotel Regale inSilcharsuffered extensive damage due toliquefaction;subsiding floors and cracked walls. Many aged or traditional structures not made to withstand an earthquake were damaged beyond repair. A section of an embankment slumped away, leaving a railroad between Borlongphar and Langchiliet hanging 8 meters above the ground.[11]
On August 21 that same year, a smaller butdeadlier magnitude 6.9 earthquakewould affect the India and Nepal region, killing at least 721 people.[12]
See also[edit]
- List of earthquakes in Myanmar
- List of earthquakes in India
- List of earthquakes in 1988
- 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes— Second major earthquake to strike Burma in the same year
References[edit]
- ^abJ. R. Kayal (2008).Microearthquake Seismology and Seismotectonics of South Asia(1 ed.). Springer, Dordrecht. p. 287.doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8180-4.ISBN978-1-4020-8180-4.Retrieved10 April2021.
- ^"M 7.3 - 85 km SE of Phek, India".earthquake.usgs.gov.USGS.Retrieved6 August2021.
- ^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.Bibcode:2017GNHR....8.1477P.doi:10.1080/19475705.2017.1345794.S2CID133793886.
- ^abNational Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) (1972),Significant Earthquake Database(Data Set),National Geophysical Data Center,NOAA,doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- ^Mondal, Dhiman R.; McHugh, Cecilia M.; Mortlock, Richard A.; Steckler, Michael S.; Mustaque, Sharif; Akhter, Syed Humayun (2018)."Microatolls document the 1762 and prior earthquakes along the southeast coast of Bangladesh".Tectonophysics.745:196–213.Bibcode:2018Tectp.745..196M.doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2018.07.020.S2CID53578945.
- ^"International Seismological Centre Online Event Bibliography".www.isc.ac.uk/.International Seismological Centre.Retrieved6 August2021.
- ^"7.3 Earthquake Rocks India-Burma Border".Los Angeles Times.
- ^"Focal Mechanism".US Geological Survey.
- ^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) (1972),Tsunami Event Information(Data Set),National Geophysical Data Center,NOAA,doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K,archivedfrom the original on 2021-07-09
- ^Kumar, Brijesh."Isoseismals of Burma-India border region earthquake of August 6, 1988"(PDF).Bulletin of Indian Society of Earthquake Technology.29(1): 57–67.
- ^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.
- ^"M 6.9 - 9 km WSW of Triyuga, Nepal".earthquake.usgs.gov.USGS.Retrieved6 August2021.
Further reading[edit]
- Sahu, O.P.; Saikia, M.M. (1994)."The b value before the 6th August, 1988 India-Myanmar border region earthquake - a case study"(PDF).Tectonophysics.234(4): 349–354.Bibcode:1994Tectp.234..349S.doi:10.1016/0040-1951(94)90235-6.