How tectonic forces under Asia led to the earthquake of Myanmar
Tens of thousands of people are estimated to be buried in the ruins after the 7.7 -magnitude earthquake hit on Friday in Myanmar and shaken neighboring Thailand.
So far 144 deaths have been confirmed in Myanmar, while in Bangkok, Thailand, rescue workers are looking for the ruins of a high -rise building where five people were killed and 117 are missing.
The 55 million inhabitants, one of the most earthquakes on the planet, is on the threshold of two tectonic plates.
The earthquake was probably the largest hitting mainland Myanmar in the last 75 years
« The limit of the Indian and Eurasian plaque runs the country in the middle from the north to south, » Joanna Fere Walker, a seismologist at the University College in London, told Reuters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNRNA5IXQWE
The two plates are rubbed horizontally with each other as they move at different speeds. Friction causes soil deformations that accumulate energy. When the deformation exceeds the breaking point, the energy ends with an earthquake.
In general, however, earthquakes in such zones are less powerful than those recorded in the so -called underpin zones, where a tectonic plate sinks beneath the other.
However, they can reach 7 or 8 degrees. So strong vibrations are rare in Myanmar.
Earthquakes over 6 degrees in Myanmar from 1900 until today. Yellow lines show geological cracks, with red appears the rift that gave Friday vibration (Reuters with USGS data)
Sagaing has been hit by several earthquakes in recent years, such as the 6.8 -magnitude vibration that caused 26 deaths and dozens of injuries in 2012.
But Friday’s earthquake was « probably the biggest » to hit the mainland Myanmar over the last 75 years, Bill McGuire of University College said.
The damage was high due to the small 10km focal depth, said Roger Mouson of the British Geological Services BGS.
« The thrust waves were not relieved as they climbed the earthquake on the surface. The buildings accepted all the power of jerk, ”he explained.
« It is important, however, not to focus on the focus, since the seismic waves do not spread radially from the focus – they are transmitted from the entire rift line, » he added.
According to an estimate of the USGS Geological Survey program, the report may range between 10 and 100 thousand dead, while financial damage may reach 70% of Myanmar’s GDP.
Since earthquakes in the area are not frequent, the buildings are unlikely to be built with quite strict standards to withstand such a blow.
