An earthquake of 3.9 magnitude rattled Myanmar on Thursday, national center of seismology reported in a post on X. No injuries have been reported yet.
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Myanmar faces significant exposure to earthquake and tsunami hazards due to its position at the convergence of four major tectonic plates, the Indian, Eurasian, Sunda, and Burma plates. They continuously interact through active geological processes along the country's extensive coastline.
At the heart of this seismic risk lies the Sagaing Fault, a 1,400-kilometre transform fault cutting through the country. The fault serves as a critical geological link between the Andaman spreading centre and a northern collision zone, and its presence substantially elevates earthquake risk for the cities of Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, comprising 46 per cent of Myanmar's total population.
While Yangon sits at a considerable distance from the fault line itself, its sheer population density keeps it firmly in the high-risk category. This concern is not without historical precedent as a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Bago in 1903 also caused a significant impact in Yangon.
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