Myanmar is one of the most seismically active countries in Southeast Asia. As it is on the Indian and Eurasian plate boundary, it is notorious for devastating earthquakes. Oblique subduction, block rotation, and a transform margin have been responsible for the seismic activities of the country. The Sagaing Fault is one of the largest sources of earthquakes in the country, having produced deadly quakes in the past centuries. Along the western coast, offshore Rahkine State, the Sunda Megathrust, where the Indian plate dives beneath the Burma plate is capable of producing large events and tsunamis like the 2004 earthquake. Intermediate depth earthquakes east of the Chin Range also pose a risk to people. The Shan Plateau is another source of earthquakes, hosting many active strike-slip faults that accommodate block rotation of the Sunda plate. The latest earthquake happened on March 28, 2025.
Earthquakes
Notable earthquakes in the history of Myanmar include the following:
| Date | Location | Mag. | MMI | Depth (km) | Deaths | Injuries | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-15 | Mandalay | 4.7 Mw | V | 32.0 | 1 | An aftershock of the 2025 Myanmar earthquake. | ||
| 2025-05-17 | Mandalay | 5.1 Mw | VI | 10.0 | 2 | An aftershock of the 2025 Myanmar earthquake. | ||
| 2025-03-28 | Mandalay | 6.7 Mw | IX | 10.0 | The strongest aftershock of the 2025 Myanmar earthquake. Struck 11 minutes after. | |||
| 2025-03-28 | Sagaing | 7.7–7.9 Mw | X | 10.0 | 5,352 | 11,366 | Widespread damage. Affected parts of Thailand. see 2025 Myanmar earthquake | |
| 2023-06-07 | Ayeyarwady | 4.8 mb | VII | 10.0 | 3 | Several buildings and a pagoda damaged in Ma-ubin. | ||
| 2023-05-31 | Mohnyin | 5.9 Mw | VIII | 10.0 | Many structures damaged in Hopin and ground effects in the Indawgyi Lake area. | |||
| 2022-07-21 | Kengtung | 5.9 Mww | VII | 5.0 | Damage in Kengtung. Also felt in China, Thailand, and Laos. | |||
| 2021-11-26 | Hakha | 6.2 Mww | VIII | 42.5 | Minor damage and an injury also occurred in Bangladesh. | |||
| 2018-01-11 | Bago | 6.0 Mww | VII | 9.0 | Felt strongly in many places. | |||
| 2017-03-13 | Yangon | 5.1 mb | VI | 10.0 | 2 | 36 | ||
| 2016-08-24 | Magway | 6.8 Mw | VI | 84.1 | 4 | 20 | Several temples were damaged | |
| 2016-04-13 | Sagaing | 6.9 Mw | VI | 134.8 | Deaths and damage in India and Bangladesh | |||
| 2012-11-11 | Sagaing | 6.8 Mw | VIII | 9.8 | 26 | Many | 12 missing | |
| 2011-03-24 | Shan | 6.9 Mw | X | 12.8 | 151 | 212 | ||
| 2011-02-04 | Monywa | 6.4 Mw | VI | 85.0 | 1 | |||
| 2009-08-11 | Coco Islands | 7.5 Mw | VII | 24.0 | ||||
| 2007-12-25 | Kachin | 4.8 Mw | IV | 35.0 | 19 | Severe damage | ||
| 2004-12-26 | Coco Islands | 9.2–9.3 Mw | - | 30.0 | 70–800 | Rupture extended to the Coco Islands | ||
| 2003-09-21 | Magway | 6.6 Mwb | VII | 15.8 | 10 | 43 | Damage at Taungdwingyi | |
| 1995-07-11 | Shan | 6.8 Mw | VIII | 12.5 | 11 | |||
| 1991-01-05 | Sagaing | 7.0 Mw | VII | 19.7 | 2 | |||
| 1988-11-06 | Shan | 7.2 Ms | X | 15.9 | Aftershock of the Lancang earthquake. | |||
| 1988-11-06 | Shan | 7.7 Mw | IX | 17.8 | 700 | 3,900 | ||
| 1988-08-06 | Sagaing | 7.3 Mw | VIII | 98.1 | 3 | 30 | Caused some damage in India and was felt in the Soviet Union. At least 30 injured or missing in Bangladesh. | |
| 1976-05-29 | Yunnan | 7.0 Mw | 10.0 | 98 | 2,400+ | |||
| 1975-07-08 | Mandalay | 7.0 Mw | VIII | 106.8 | 2 | 15 | ||
| 1970-07-29 | Sagaing | 7.0 Mw | 76.1 | Damage at Assam. | ||||
| 1956-07-16 | Sagaing | 7.1 Mw | VIII | 34.3 | 38 | |||
| 1954-03-21 | Sagaing | 7.4 mb | 180.0 | Some damage reported in India. | ||||
| 1952-06-19 | Shan | 6.7 Mw | VIII | 10.0 | Homes collapsed and landslides occurred in Yunnan. | |||
| 1950-08-15 | Assam | 8.6 Mw | XI | 15.0 | 4,800 | Rupture partially extended to Burma and was felt strongly | ||
| 1946-09-12 | Sagaing | 7.8 Mw | 15.0 | 0 | Doublet earthquake | |||
| 1946-09-12 | Sagaing | 8.0 Mw | 15.0 | 0 | ||||
| 1943-10-23 | Chin | 7.2 | ||||||
| 1941-12-26 | Shan | 7.2 Mw | 10.0 | >6 | ||||
| 1938-08-16 | Chin | 7.2 Ms | 75.0 | |||||
| 1932-08-14 | Sagaing | 7.0 Ms | 110.0 | Damage at Assam | ||||
| 1931-01-27 | Kachin | 7.6 Mw | IX | 15.0 | 0 | |||
| 1930-12-03 | Bago | 7.3 Mw | X | 10.0 | 36 | |||
| 1930-07-18 | Irrawaddy | 50 | ||||||
| 1930-05-05 | Bago | 7.5 Mw | X | 35.0 | 500 | 204+ | Tsunami | |
| 1929-08-08 | Naypyidaw | 6.6–7.1 Mw | 10.0–15.0 | Caused some damage. | ||||
| 1929-01-19 | Kachin | 5.5 Ms | IX | Damage at Htawgaw. | ||||
| 1927-12-17 | Yangon | ~7.0 Mw | Severe damage in northern Yangon | |||||
| 1923-06-22 | Shan | 7.2 Mw | 25.0 | |||||
| 1922-05-02 | Shan | 6.7 Mw | 35.0 | |||||
| 1917-07-05 | Bago | Shwemawdaw Pagoda fell. | ||||||
| 1912-05-23 | Shan | 7.8Mw | IX | 15–25.0 | 1(?) | Several cities damaged | ||
| 1908-12-12 | Kachin | 7.2 Mw | 15.0 | |||||
| 1908-12-12 | Kachin | 7.2 Mw | 15.0 | |||||
| 1906-08-31 | Northern Sagaing Fault | 7.0 Mw | ||||||
| 1906-06-24 | Coco Islands | 7.3 Muk | 60.0 km | 0 | ||||
| 1895/1896 | Yangon | Destroyed many buildings in Rangoon. | ||||||
| 1858-08-24 | Magway | 7.7 Mw | ? | An island disappeared. | ||||
| 1843-10-30 | Rahkine | May have triggered a tsunami. | ||||||
| 1842-11-11 | Rahkine | Tsunami recorded at Cheduba Island. | ||||||
| 1848-01-03 | Rahkine | 6.8–7.2 Mw | ? | Severe shaking at Ramree Island. | ||||
| 1839-03-23 | Mandalay | 8.1–8.2 Mw | XI | 12-15.0 | 500+ | Former capital city Inwa destroyed and abandoned. | ||
| 1762-04-02 | Chittagong-Rahkine | 8.8 Mw | XI | 200+ | Tsunami | |||
| 1757-06-04 | Bago | |||||||
| 1750 | Rahkine | |||||||
| 1714-08-04 | Sagaing | Waves from a river flooded a nearby city. | ||||||
| 1620-06-06 | Mandalay | Fishes in the Irrawaddy River were killed. | ||||||
| 1564-09-13 | Bago | Mahazedi Pagoda destroyed. | ||||||
| 1485-07-24 | Sagaing | Several pagodas fell. | ||||||
| 1467 | Innwa | |||||||
| 1429 | Innwa | |||||||
| Note: Only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. | ||||||||
Tsunamis affecting Myanmar
- 1881 Nicobar Islands earthquake – magnitude 7.9 earthquake, no fatalities
- 1941 Andaman Islands earthquake – magnitude 7.7 earthquake, moderate damage and unknown fatalities.
- 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake – magnitude 9.2 earthquake, severe damage, between 400 and 600 people killed.
- 2009 Andaman Islands earthquake – magnitude 7.5 earthquake, tsunami warning issued, no injuries or fatalities anywhere.
- 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake – magnitude 8.6 earthquake, tsunami warning issued, no fatalities.
Gallery
- 1839 Ava earthquake
- 1930 Bago earthquake
- 2016 Chauk earthquake
- 2025 Myanmar earthquake
See also
- Geology of Myanmar
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