Reviewed by USGSMyanmar116y ago
M7.9 earthquake 32 km NW of Taunggyi, Myanmar
Thursday, May 23, 1912, 02:24:03 UTC · 21.031°N, 96.859°E
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck 32 km NW of Taunggyi, Myanmar on Thursday, May 23, 1912, 02:24:03 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.9
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
10.0 megatons of TNT
That is about 662 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 20,893 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
96 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 400 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1839
Ava, Amarapura
23 Mar 1839 · 131 km away · intensity XI
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M8.0
Mandalay, Mogok, Maymyo
23 May 1912 · 15 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1838
Ava (Innwa)
1838 · 123 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1858
Thayetmyo, Prome
24 Aug 1858 · 298 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1714
Ava (Innwa)
4 Aug 1714 · 130 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.