THE Department of Meteorology and Hydrology announced that an earthquake struck at 5:09:41 pm on 14 June, with its epicentre located inland within Myanmar near Pharku Village, approximately 15 miles east-northeast of the Kaba Aye Seismological Observatory.
The earthquake was a minor one, measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter located at Latitude 16.89° N and Longitude 96.38° E, at a depth of 12 kilometres (approximately six miles) underground.
Although slight tremors were felt in some townships within Yangon due to the earthquake, no reports of casualties or damage have emerged so far.
According to earthquake data, several tremors have been recorded recently, including a magnitude 4.5 quake near the Gulf of Mottama on 24 April, a magnitude 5.2 quake along the Yangon-Mottama fault zone on 18 May, a magnitude 4.2 quake on 22 May, a magnitude 4.0 quake on 11 June, a magnitude 2.9 quake on the morning of 14 June, and a magnitude 3.1 quake on the evening of 14 June.
“If we plot these events on a map, we can see that earthquakes are re-emerging in segments across this connected southern fault network, including the Gulf of Mottama, the Yangon River mouth, Twantay, Dala, Dedaye, and the Ayeyawady Delta. In other words, it appears that underground stress is not accumulating in a single location but is being released section by section, block by block, and zone by zone,” an earthquake researcher from the AIA Info Team said.
“Based on current data, the most likely scenario indicates that the southern fault systems connecting Yangon, Twantay, Dala, and Mottama have not yet fully stabilized, and pressure readjustments are still ongoing. It is also important to note that much of the delta region — including Yangon, Dala, Thakayta, Dawbon, Hlinethaya, and Dagon Myothit townships — consists of soft alluvial soil rather than hard bedrock. As a result, even a moderate earthquake can feel more pronounced, cause stronger swaying, and last longer in these areas,” he explained. — TWA/TH
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