Reviewed by USGS81y ago
M7.6 earthquake in Myanmar
Thursday, September 12, 1946, 15:20:25 UTC · 23.532°N, 95.705°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck in Myanmar on Thursday, September 12, 1946, 15:20:25 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
- 7.6
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 289 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 9,120 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
25 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 35 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, IndiaJanuary 27, 1931 · 281 km N of this epicenter
- 7.362 km S of Bhamo, MyanmarFebruary 17, 1905 · 150 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1129 km ENE of Mawlaik, MyanmarSeptember 12, 1946 · 65 km N of this epicenter
- 7.031 km SE of Falam, MyanmarAugust 16, 1938 · 204 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.528 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1937 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 6.596 km SSW of Sarupathar, IndiaMarch 28, 1914 · 222 km N of this epicenter
- 6.221 km SE of Wāngjing, IndiaApril 12, 1917 · 184 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.213 km NW of Imphal, IndiaSeptember 22, 1930 · 242 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 184 km away · intensity XI
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1838
Ava (Innwa)
1838 · 195 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1932M7.0
Assam
14 Aug 1932 · 275 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1929
Myitkyina
4 Jun 1929 · 239 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1931
Kamaing
28 Jan 1931 · 235 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1946M7.8
Myanmar (Burma)
12 Sep 1946 · 65 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.