Myanmar

Hydrology, sediment fluxes and floods of the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar

The Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) is one of the less known large rivers in the world and the second largest river of Southeast Asia in water discharge, after the Mekong.

Mechanisms of moisture isotopic fractionation and Asian monsoon dynamics since the last glacial maximum

For this project we propose a multi-proxy (trace elements, water inclusion and carbonate δ18O) study on speleothems collected from sites along a SW-NE transect in a region dominate

Earthquake geology of Myanmar and surrounding areas

We propose to continue our paleoseismological and multi-lateral, international collaborations on active fault behaviors in Myanmar.

Myanmar Velocity Model (v1)

The data for the Myanmar Velocity Model can be accessed via ftp://datacollection.earthobservatory.sg/Myanmar_Velocity

Annual Report 2017 - Research

Home to more than 50 million people, Myanmar is shaped like a giant kite with a long tail that sweeps down along the Andaman Sea.

Beneath the surface, invisible dangers affect Myanmar’s growing population, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In the north, mountain ranges mark the northeast limit of the Indian tectonic plate, which has been colliding with the southern edge of the Eurasian plate for tens of millions of years. It is this interaction that has helped push up the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau in the far north of the country.

To the east, the Shan Plateau rises high above the central Myanmar basin. Ribbed with mountain ranges and broken hills, it hides a 700-kilometre-wide system of active faults, creating hazards we know little about.

Extending north to south, the 1,500-kilometre-long Sagaing Fault splits Myanmar in half, running below the economic centre of Mandalay, through the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw, alongside the thriving metropolis of Bago, and to the west of the country’s largest city, Yangon. When set into motion, strike-slip faults like this one tear the earth apart when slabs of crust slide sideways against each other.

Annual Report 2017

This annual report marks the end of the Earth Observatory’s first decade. At the onset, we conceived of a regional research and educational institution aimed at conducting basic geohazards research, headquartered on the campus of an up-and-coming university, NTU Singapore. Did we move significantly toward these goals during our first ten years? Are we contributing to making Southeast Asian societies safer and more sustainable? Are we likely, through the remainder of the century, to play a premier role in meeting the challenges posed to Southeast Asian societies by climate and sea-level change, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and river hazards?

Today's Quake in Myanmar is a Reminder of How Active the Sagaing Fault is

Very early in the morning on Friday, 12 January 2018, Myanmar was struck by a magnitude-6.0 earthquake. Residents in the two capital cities, Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw, were able to feel the quake that had originated 40 kilometres west of the Sagaing Fault in Central Myanmar.

In the video below, Dr Wang Yu, a Research Fellow at the Earth Observatory of Singapore, suggests that today’s earthquake is a reminder of how active the Sagaing Fault actually is.

New Seismic Network Sheds Light on Myanmar’s Tectonic Activity

Scientists have long known that Myammar is tectonically vulnerable. But only recently, says Dr Paramesh Banerjee, have they been able to understand the full extent of the country’s seismic activity. This new insight is made possible by the new Myanmar Seismic Network, established earlier this year.

Folklore and Farmers: The Role of Non-Scientists in Active Fault Research in Myanmar and Thailand

“We scientists usually think we know everything,” said Dr Wang Yu, a Research Fellow at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), “but when we go into the field, we start to realise that actually farmers have most of the important knowledge about the land, and that we are just visitors with lots to learn.”

A View from the Trenches: The 2017 Earthquake Geology Training and Field Camp in Myanmar and Thailand

"One of the things that first made me interested in geology was hearing about the number of places that geologists travel to for work." Tim Dawson, a Senior Engineering Geologist at California Geological Survey, reflects on the perks of being a geologist, and describes his most recent adventure in the trenches in northern Myanmar and Thailand during an earthquake geology training course.

Earth Observatory of Singapore

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