An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck Bagan, Myanmar on August 24, 2016. Over 200 temples dating from 700 to 1000 years old were damaged. Four people died, two from shaking and two from landslides. The earthquake occurred at an intermediate depth of 84.1 km where the Indian and Burma plates are subducting and colliding. The architecture of Bagan temples, with upper parts more susceptible to collapse from lateral shaking, contributed to the damage despite the deeper quake compared to a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Italy the same day that was more destructive due to its more shallow depth near the surface.

1. BAGAN EARTHQUAKE
2016
BAGAN, MYANMAR

2. WHERE IS MYANMAR?

3. ~ Shwe Dagon Pagoda ~

4. “The Golden Rock”
Kyaik Htee Yoe

5. ~ Inle Lake ~

6. ~ Mandalay ~

8. Pangaea

10. Sagaing Fault
Bagan

11. Bagan is in the Subduction Zone,
(Indian Plate Under the Eurasian Plate)
So the Depth of Earthquakes are deep, less Damage
Hypocenter
(focus)
Epicenter
depth

14. ~ BAGAN ~

20. Seismic Wave
Body Wave
1.P-Wave
2.S-Wave
Surface Wave
1.Rayleigh
2.Love Wave

22. P – Wave : Primary / Pressure Wave
Longitudinal Wave

23. S – Wave : Secondary / Shear Wave
Transverse Wave

24. Rayleigh Wave

25. Love Wave

27. Richter magnitude scale
Local Magnitude 𝑀𝐿
P
S
Depends on Distance & Amplitude

28. Logarithmic Scale
Increase in 1 M
corresponds
10 times larger Amplitude
• Conventional seismometers
measure certain frequencies
• The Signal from Large
Earthquakes weren’t not
adequately represented.
• Underestimate the size of Large
Earthquakes

29. based on:
• Rigidity of Rock (𝜇)
• Distance that one block slips
relative to other block (D)
• Area that ruptured between
the blocks (A)
Modern Electronic Seismometers can record and interrupt broader spectrum of seismic signals
Moment Magnitude
𝑀 𝑊

30. BAGAN EARTHQUAKE 1975
 Magnitude 6.5
 8 July 1975 6:36 pm local time
 2 people died, 15 injured
 The depth of earthquake - 157 km
(USGS Earthquake Information Centre)
 Subduction and collision of India Plate and Burma
Platelet is ongoing and this earthquake was happened at
the interface of those two plates.

32. BAGAN EARTHQUAKE 2016
• Magnitude – 6.8
• 24th August 2016, 5:04 pm local time
• Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong)
• estimated depth - 84.1 km (Intermediate Focus, P-Wave
Strong)
• Over 200 temples in the nearby ancient city of Bagan were
damaged (700 to over 1000 years old temples)
• 4 people were reported dead.
(2 to shaking, 2 to landslides)

36. DAMAGES

51. Lower Part: Vertical, Gravitational System
Can withstand P-Waves (Not Damage)
Architecture of Bagan Temples
Upper Part
Collapse

52. Fisrtly,
P-Wave Brake the Upper part
Vertical
UP-DOWN Motion

53. Upper part falls due to S-Wave
Lateral
Motion

54. Italy Earthquake 2016

55. WHY DOES THE DESTRUCTION SEEM TO BE
WORSE IN ITALY WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE WAS
LARGER IN MYANMAR?
• Same day
• Magnitude 6.2 in Italy and magnitude 6.8 in Myanmar
• The epicenter of this quake was 52 miles (84 kilometers) below the
surface.
• Italy’s earthquake was much shallower, and it was more destructive
because of the proximity to the surface.
• In Italy, they are often building on flat mesas that may shake more,
and many buildings are older structures made from stone.

58. THANK YOU!