It tore out a 400-kilometer rupture zone, with energy equivalent to that of a thousand nuclear bombs.

Although we live on the same planet, not every region will experience a major earthquake. Some places, such as Australia, may not experience a major earthquake for hundreds or thousands of years. Countries or regions located in earthquake zones are not so lucky. For example, Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and earthquakes always occur frequently. Myanmar is located in the Mediterranean-Himalayan earthquake zone, and unfortunately it was hit by a major earthquake this time!

The magnitude 7.9 earthquake that occurred in central Myanmar at 14:20 on March 28th, 2025 was one of the strongest earthquakes Myanmar has experienced in nearly a hundred years. It was also the largest of the 17th magnitude 6 or above earthquakes in the world in 2025. The earthquake brought huge damage to Myanmar and surrounding areas.

The magnitude of an earthquake and the energy released follow the Gutenberg-Richter law, which shows an exponential growth relationship rather than a linear relationship. For every 0.1 increase in magnitude, the energy increases by about 1.41 times. In other words, the energy released by the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar is not much different from the 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Wenchuan, China in 2008.

In this relationship, if the magnitude differs by n 0.1, the energy released will differ by about 1.41 to the power of n. This means that a slight change in magnitude will lead to a significant increase in the energy released by the earthquake, and the intensity of the damage will also be very different.

It is estimated that the energy released by the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar is about the energy released by the explosion of 15 million tons of TNT. Compared with the atomic bomb "Little Boy" dropped by the United States on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II, which had an equivalent of about 15,000 tons of TNT, the energy of this earthquake is about equivalent to thousands of such atomic bombs.

What is even more shocking is that the fault rupture zone caused by the earthquake is preliminarily estimated to be 400 kilometers long, exceeding the 300-kilometer rupture zone of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, making it one of the longest surface faults in the world in recent decades.

The epicenter of the Myanmar earthquake was only 30 kilometers deep, which is a shallow earthquake. The energy is more easily released to the surface, further amplifying the destructive power. The destructive power of this earthquake should not be underestimated. It is one of the largest geological disasters in the world in recent years!

Myanmar is located on the eastern edge of the collision zone between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The region has active crustal movement and dense faults. The Indian Plate squeezes the Eurasian Plate northward at a rate of about 20 mm per year, causing huge energy to accumulate in the Sagaing Fault Zone. The long-term accumulated stress in the Sagaing Fault Zone is concentratedly released during the earthquake. Its destructive power not only caused a large number of deaths and large-scale damage to buildings in Myanmar, but also Sagaing and Mandalay near the epicenter became the hardest hit areas, and neighboring countries such as Thailand also suffered varying degrees of losses. It is precisely the particularity of this geological structure that makes the impact of this earthquake far beyond expectations!

According to statistics, earthquakes have been relatively frequent in Myanmar's history. Since 1900, Myanmar has experienced several earthquakes of magnitude 7 or above. In addition to this 7.9 magnitude earthquake, the most recent earthquake with a magnitude of more than 7 occurred near the central city of Mandalay on April 13, 2016, with a focal depth of about 130 kilometers and a magnitude of 7.2. However, the focal point of that earthquake was deeper, and the epicenter was located in the jungle and mountains. The local population was relatively sparse, and the damage and losses were relatively small.

World's largest palace collapses in earthquake

On March 28th, after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, the walls of the Mandalay Palace collapsed. The palace was the palace of the Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty in Myanmar, and a tower inside the palace wall also collapsed. Many buildings in the area collapsed and tilted, with bricks scattered on the streets. Residents shouted for help after escaping, and rescuers were searching for trapped people in the ruins.

Mandalay Palace was built in 1857. It is square in shape, with red brick walls and a moat outside the walls. There are 104 grand halls in the palace. The entire building is a wooden structure and was destroyed in World War II. In 1989, the Myanmar government began to rebuild it based on historical pictures and materials, and restored 89 main halls. It was completed and opened to the public in September 1996. It covers an area of ​​4 million square meters and is the largest palace in the world today.