Comments on: Strong earthquake in Burma causes many deaths and much destruction

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 13:59:29 +0000

My Thai relative reports that the earthquake was very strong in the north of Thailand, where she grew up, but that everyone is okay. Bangkok, where the buildings swayed and one under construction collapsed, is 800 miles from the epicenter, which gives us some idea of what the destruction must be in Myanmar (which my relative still calls Burma, after the language there).

By: Sennacherib

Sennacherib — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 11:10:19 +0000

Swimming became a little iffy in Thailand!

By: Chases Eagles

Chases Eagles — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 06:56:48 +0000

Wikipedia

The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaska earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964.[2] Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 139 deaths.[3]

Lasting four minutes and thirty-eight seconds, the magnitude 9.2–9.3 megathrust earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America,[2][4] and the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900.

By: huxley

huxley — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 05:29:47 +0000

Buried the lede again.

The Burma quake was almost 3x stronger than the 1906 San Francisco quake.

By: huxley

huxley — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 04:15:39 +0000

The Great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906 was only 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale.

Since these numbers are logarithmic, even a small increase in magnitude can mean significantly more power.

Based on log(E) = 1.5 × M + 4.8 where E is energy and M is magnitude: An 8.2 earthquake releases ~2.82 times more energy than a 7.9 earthquake.

(1.5 and 4.8 are constants derived from empirical studies.)

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 20:42:23 +0000

Same quake, Alan Colbo. Early estimate was upgraded. Secondary shock, a few minutes later, was 6.4

The water sloshing over the sides of the Bangkok skyscrapers could have caused injury to those below all by itself.

By: Leland

Leland — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:39:42 +0000

I saw the video of the building that collapsed, but that was a building under construction. The Naypyidaw International Airport Tower was a substantial structure (older video showing Tower): https://youtu.be/ZEzRcAw55b8?t=108

Building collapse here (47s was the one I had seen previously, but there is more at the clip): https://youtu.be/apzcPKc5e1s

By: Alan Colbo

Alan Colbo — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:12:55 +0000

This a new quake, or the same that registered 7.7 in Thailand?