Shallow M5.8 earthquake hits Myanmar, Yellow alert issued

A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.8 hit northern Myanmar at 11:20 UTC on May 31, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

The epicenter was located 125.2 km (77.8 miles) WSW of Myitkyina (population 98 894), Kachin, Myanmar, 175.6 km (109.1 miles) WNW of Taiping (population 30 032), Yunnan, China, and 180.3 km (112 miles) ESE of Phek (population 14 118), Manipur, India.

9 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 30 000 strong, 237 000 moderate and 2 511 000 light.

The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Past yellow alerts have required a local or regional-level response.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block with wood and rubble/field stone masonry construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides, and this earthquake might have triggered similar events. However, the ground failure report suggests that there is little or no area affected by landslides and only a limited area affected by liquefaction.

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Selected cities exposed

Feature image credit: TW/SAM, Google