6.8 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Burma
“A powerful earthquake struck northeastern Burma on Thursday night, killing one woman and shaking buildings as far away as Bangkok. No tsunami was generated.
The quake hit in an area where Burma, Thailand and Laos meet, about 70 miles from Chiang Rai. The northern Thai city sustained minor damage, according to Thai television.
A woman in an area north of Chiang Rai, just two miles from the border, died when a brick wall collapsed on her, according to police Capt. Weerapon Samranjai.
“It was like somebody was running on the roof. Everybody was in a panic. They came out of their houses and wondered what happened,” said Maj. Gen. Mongkol Sampawapon, a police chief from another district near Chiang Rai.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the Myanmar side, a remote area where communications, even in the best of times, are difficult. The country’s military-controlled government also tightly controls information.
The 6.8-magnitude quake was just six miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. At that strength and depth, it said 600,000 people could feel shaking anywhere from strong to violent. It added that since buildings in the area are considered vulnerable, moderate to very heavy damage could be expected.
Buildings swayed in Bangkok, about 480 miles south of the epicenter.” Read more.
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 6.8 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
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| Location | 20.705°N, 99.949°E |
| Depth | 10 km (6.2 miles) |
| Region | MYANMAR |
| Distances | 89 km (55 miles) N of Chiang Rai, Thailand 168 km (104 miles) SSW of Yunjinghong, Yunnan, China 589 km (365 miles) NE of Rangoon, Myanmar 772 km (479 miles) N of BANGKOK, Thailand |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 15.4 km (9.6 miles); depth +/- 5.8 km (3.6 miles) |
| Parameters | NST=109, Nph=109, Dmin=234.9 km, Rmss=0.88 sec, Gp= 36°, M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=C |
| Source |
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| Event ID | usc0002aes |




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