2012 Shwebo earthquake


The 2012 Shwebo earthquake occurred at 07:42 local time on 11 November in Myanmar. It had a magnitude of 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII on the Mercalli intensity scale. The epicenter was near the town of Male, 52 km NNE of the city of Shwebo, 64 km west of Mogok and 120 km north of Mandalay. Significant damage and possible casualties have been reported from near the epicenter, with up to 26 people dead and many more injured. Part of a bridge under construction fell into the Irrawaddy River near Shwebo and a gold mine collapsed at Sintku.
An aftershock with a magnitude of 5.8 followed at 17:24 local time.

Tectonic setting

Central Burma lies within the complex zone of collision between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. In this area the collision is highly oblique and much of the plate convergence is accommodated by right lateral strike slip faults, of which the largest is the north-south trending Sagaing Fault, which takes up 18mm per year of this movement.

Earthquake

The earthquake was caused by right lateral movement on the Sagaing Fault between Singu and Tagaung, with a rupture length of 60–70 km, and was followed by three large aftershocks in the area south of the mainshock epicenter, and one to the north.

Damage

Many buildings, including monasteries, pagodas, a hospital, and a school collapsed in Male and neighbouring villages. Damage was also reported from Shwebo, Mogok and Mandalay. The Radana Thinga Bridge, which was still under construction, fell into the Irrawaddy River, and several workers went missing.