Latest news with #JudithHubbard
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Incredible never-before-filmed moment Earth's crust RUPTURES during deadly 7.7-mag quake leaving scientists ‘gobsmacked'
THIS jaw-dropping moment is the first time ever that a rupture in the Earth's crust caused by an earthquake was caught on film. The incredible footage, captured during a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked Myanmar in March, shows the ground literally sliding along two sides of a fault line. Advertisement 5 Cracks can be seen emerging in the pavement as the quake hits Credit: YouTube 5 Beyond the fence, the ground begins to slide along in a jaw-dropping moment Credit: YouTube 5 It was caught on a surveillance camera at a property in Mandalay - the country's second largest city. The clip begins with a fairly unassuming view of property's gate right as the earthquake hits. As you might expect, the footage begins to tremble as the quake strikes - with the gate shaking and cracks appearing in the concrete. But it's what happens in the right hand side of the frame that has caught the eye of scientists all over the world. Advertisement The driveway can literally be seen sliding along relative to the ground outside the premises in an absolutely staggering moment. Scientists say this is the first known moment of an actual fault line motion being caught on film. California-based earthquake geologist Wendy Bohon told CBC News: "My jaw hit the floor. "We have computer models of it. We have laboratory models of it. Advertisement Most read in Science "But all of those are far less complex than the actual natural system. "So to see it actually happening was mind-blowing." Dad leaps from one skyscraper to another to save family during Myanmar quake The clip was captured Some 3,700 people are reported to have died in the quake, according to Myanmar's ruling military junta. Advertisement The rupture is believed to have torn open the earth along the Sagaing Fault. Assistant professor at Cornell University Judith Hubbard told CBC: "I keep going back and watching it. "It's really kind of staggering to see a fault slide in real time, especially for someone like me, who has spent years studying these things, but always from more remote kinds of data, like offsets after the fact or data recorded by sensors." The clip was posted to YouTube on May 11 on a channel called 2025 Sagaing Earthquake Archive. Advertisement The account features more than 1,000 videos from the day of the devastating quake. But this clip of the earth rupturing is by far its more viewed video, with more than one million views at time of writing. One commenter posted under the video: " Good grief. The whole hill shifting. The power tower collapsing. The buildings crumbling. Amazing video. " Another wrote: " Seems crazy that with billions upon billions of cameras filming everything on this earth that we have anything being recorded for the first time still. " Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun Hubbard added that this video offers researchers a "a really striking observation". "We don't tend to have instruments right along the fault. They are often disrupted by shaking," she said. 5 The devastating earthquake rocked Myanmar back in March Credit: Getty 5 Some 3,700 people are reported to have died in the quake Credit: AFP Advertisement
Al Etihad
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Deadly Myanmar quake: What we know so far
30 Mar 2025 00:17 Bangkok (AFP)A powerful earthquake centred in Myanmar has killed more than 1,600 people in the country and neighbouring Thailand -- and caused widespread damage. Here is what we know: Powerful, and shallow The 7.7-magnitude quake hit northwest of Myanmar's Sagaing at 12:50 pm (0620 GMT) on Friday at a shallow was followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock and a dozen smaller quake was felt across the region, with shaking reported from India to the west and China to the east, as well as Cambodia and was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in decades, according to quake hit along the Sagaing Fault that runs from the coast to Myanmar's northern border, according to earthquake scientists Judith Hubbard and Kyle "has long been considered one of the most dangerous strike-slip faults on Earth" because of its proximity to major cities Yangon and Mandalay, as well as the capital Naypyidaw, they wrote in an fault is comparatively simple and straight, which geologists believe can lead to especially large quakes, they added. Over 1,600 killed At least 1,644 people were killed and more than 3,400 injured in Myanmar, the ruling junta said in a toll is expected to rise significantly, given the widespread destruction across the of civil war have weakened the country's emergency and health services, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to such a Thailand, 10 people were killed in Bangkok, most in the collapse of an under-construction city's governor said 79 people were still unaccounted for at the building, near the sprawling Chatuchak market. Widespread damage With communications badly disrupted in Myanmar, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled was massive destruction in Mandalay, where multiple buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and twisted metal coated in dust, dotted with people attempting Ava bridge running across the Irrawaddy river from Sagaing, built nearly 100 years ago, collapsed into the swirling waters were reports of damage to Mandalay airport, potentially complicating relief efforts, as well as to the city's university and palace, according to the Red Naypyidaw, AFP reporters saw buildings toppled and roads a hospital in the capital, patients were being treated outdoors after the quake damaged the building, bringing down the emergency department's outages were reported in several places, with power limited to four hours in Yangon due to quake across affected areas were also patchy, with phone networks largely Bangkok, a crane collapsed at a second building site and the city shut down metro and light rail services overnight to inspect for hundred people slept in parks overnight, city authorities said, either unable to get home or worried about the structural integrity of their quake prompted thousands of people to flee shaking buildings in Thailand, where quakes are hospitals were evacuated, with one woman delivering a baby in the street in Bangkok, and a surgeon continuing to operate on a patient after being forced to leave the theatre mid-surgery. Aid pleas, offers The scale of the devastation prompted Myanmar's regime to make a rare plea for international junta chief invited "any country, any organisation" to help with relief and said he "opened all ways for foreign aid".Offers of assistance flooded in, including a flight from neighbour India arriving in Yangon on Saturday, carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other sent teams of rescuers while the European Union pledged support, and US President Donald Trump said Washington had "already spoken" with Myanmar about aid."It's a real bad one, and we will be helping," he told reporters. The World Health Organization said it was preparing to surge support in response to "a very, very big threat to life and health".
Nahar Net
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Myanmar quake: What we know
by Naharnet Newsdesk 29 March 2025, 10:31 A powerful earthquake centered in Myanmar has killed more than 1,000 people in the war-torn country and neighboring Thailand and caused widespread damage. Here is what we know: - Powerful, and shallow - The 7.7-magnitude quake hit northwest of Myanmar's Sagaing at 12:50 pm (0620 GMT) on Friday at a shallow depth. It was followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock and a dozen smaller tremors. The quake was felt across the region, with shaking reported from India to the west and China to the east, as well as Cambodia and Laos. It was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in decades, according to geologists. The quake hit along the Sagaing Fault that runs from the coast to Myanmar's northern border, according to earthquake scientists Judith Hubbard and Kyle Bradley. It "has long been considered one of the most dangerous strike-slip faults on Earth" because of its proximity to major cities Yangon and Mandalay, as well as capital Naypyidaw, they wrote in an analysis. The fault is comparatively simple and straight, which geologists believe can lead to especially large quakes, they added. - Over 1,000 killed - At least 1,002 people were killed and nearly 2,400 injured in Myanmar, the ruling junta said in a statement. However, Min Aung Hlaing warned the toll was likely to rise given the widespread destruction across the country. Myanmar's four years of civil war, sparked by the military seizing power, have also weakened the country's emergency and health services, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster. In Thailand, 10 people were killed in Bangkok, most in the collapse of an under-construction skyscraper. But up to 100 more construction workers were believed trapped in the rubble of the building, near the sprawling Chatuchak market. With communications badly disrupted, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state. - Widespread damage - The quake caused extensive damage in Myanmar. There was massive destruction in Mandalay, where multiple buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and twisted metal coated in dust, dotted with people attempting rescues. The Ava bridge running across the Irawaddy river from Sagaing, built nearly 100 years ago, collapsed into the swirling waters below. There were reports of damage to Mandalay airport, potentially complicating relief efforts, as well as to the city's university and palace, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In Naypyidaw, AFP reporters saw buildings toppled and roads ruptured. At a hospital in the capital, patients were being treated outdoors after the quake damaged the building, bringing down the emergency department's entrance. Electricity outages were reported in several places, with power limited to four hours in Yangon due to quake damage. Communications across affected areas were also patchy, with phone networks largely down. In Bangkok, a crane collapsed at a second building site and the city shut down metro and light rail services overnight to inspect for damage. Several hundred people slept in parks overnight, city authorities said, either unable to get home or worried about the structural integrity of their buildings. The quake prompted thousands of people to flee shaking buildings in Thailand, where quakes are rare. Even hospitals were evacuated, with one woman delivering a baby in the street in Bangkok, and a surgeon continuing to operate on a patient after being forced to leave the theatre mid-operation. - Aid pleas, offers - The scale of the devastation prompted Myanmar's isolated military regime to make a rare plea for international assistance. Myanmar's junta chief invited "any country, any organization" to help with relief and said he "opened all ways for foreign aid". Offers of assistance flooded in, with a flight from neighbor India arriving in Yangon on Saturday, carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other essentials. China sent a team of rescuers while the European Union offered support, and U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington had "already spoken" with Myanmar about aid. "It's a real bad one, and we will be helping," he told reporters. The World Health Organization said it was preparing to surge support in response to "a very, very big threat to life and health."
Al Arabiya
29-03-2025
- Science
- Al Arabiya
Myanmar earthquake: Experts explain cause of disastrous seismic shocks
Experts have explained the cause of a massive 7.7-magnitude quake which struck northwest of Myanmar on Friday – killing more than 1,000 people in the war-torn country and causing catastrophic damage across the region, including a skyscraper collapse in Thailand and shaking reported from India to the west and China to the east, as well as Cambodia and Laos. Understanding the tectonic forces The powerful earthquake, which struck Sagaing at 12:50 p.m. (0650 GMT) on Friday at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), was followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock and a dozen smaller tremors. Geologists believe the event was caused by movement along the Sagaing Fault, a major geological feature from Myanmar's coast to its northern border. Suzan van der Lee, a professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University, explained: 'The earthquake is a result of the collision of the India tectonic plate with the Eurasia tectonic plate. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are the most prominent results of this collision, but the eastern side of the India Plate also meets the Eurasia Plate, in Myanmar.' This 'meeting of plates' in Myanmar is characterized by several faults that accommodate both, the ongoing northwards motion of India concerning Eurasia (Myanmar) and the convergence between the two plates. The quake caused approximately 5 meters of movement between the sides of the fault — an exceptionally large displacement that triggered violent shaking along the roughly 200-km rupture zone. Light to moderate shaking was felt throughout most of Myanmar and across borders into Bangladesh, India, China, Laos, and Thailand. This earthquake was 'quite significant' because events of this magnitude (M7.7) are relatively rare. The USGS (US Geology Survey) reports that only six earthquakes of magnitudes greater than 7 have occurred near this location since 1900. The most recent was a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 1990, which caused 32 buildings to collapse. A magnitude 7.9 earthquake had occurred south of Friday's event in February 1912. The dangerous Sagaing Fault Judith Hubbard, a Harvard graduate and earthquake scientist, provided further context: 'The fault that ruptured Friday is called the Sagaing Fault, and is a huge strike-slip fault that reaches from the coast in the south to Myanmar's northern border, a distance of almost 1,200 km.' 'This region is extremely complicated from a tectonic perspective. Put very simply, the India Plate is shouldering its way northward as it collides with Eurasia. Along its eastern edge, it is dragging along a sliver-like fragment of continental crust, causing strike-slip faulting on the Sagaing Fault.' The Sagaing Fault cuts directly through Myanmar's central valley region, with slips along the fault creating chains of low hills and mountains. It has long been considered one of the most dangerous strike-slip faults on Earth because it passes directly by Yangon (the largest city), Nay Pyi Taw (the capital), and — most closely — Mandalay, the second largest city. GPS measurements and geological studies indicate the Sagaing Fault slips at an average rate of about 20 millimeters per year. Warning signs and seismic gaps 'As with all great earthquakes on known active faults, this M7.7 earthquake was both completely expected (the location and magnitude), and completely unexpected (the timing),' Hubbard explained. 'However, this event also falls within a special class of earthquakes: ones that have previously been singled out as especially likely to occur. That is because researchers had previously identified a seismic gap — a section of the fault that has not broken during recent centuries — in the general area of today's earthquake.' Hubbard noted that the seismic gap, stretching along the Meiktila segment from Naypyidaw toward Mandalay, may not have fully ruptured in this earthquake. Instead, the southern termination of the rupture appears to lie about halfway through the Meiktila segment, based on early USGS data. One concerning aspect of strike-slip earthquakes is that while they relieve stress on the segment of the fault that ruptured, they actually increase stress on neighboring segments and sometimes on other regional faults. 'This is a process that we saw in February 2023 in Turkey, when a M7.8 earthquake triggered a M7.5 earthquake on a neighboring fault nine hours later,' Hubbard said. The relatively simple, straight trace of the Sagaing Fault may enable especially large earthquakes, as ruptures don't encounter large jumps or jogs that could stop them from growing to significant size. Rising death toll and devastation The death toll from the earthquake has jumped to over 1,000, with significantly more people injured, according to Myanmar's ruling junta on Saturday. However, experts warn this figure is likely to increase substantially. 'The situation looks grim: based on the estimated shaking, population densities, and quality of construction, the USGS PAGER (Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response) is currently estimating a 22 percent chance that more than 100,000 people have died and a 56 percent chance that more than 10,000 people have died,' Hubbard said. These early estimates, while uncertain, provide general guidance rather than specific predictions about outcomes. The PAGER system also estimates that about 800,000 people experienced intensity IX shaking (violent), and four million more were subjected to intensity VIII shaking (severe). Challenges in assessment and response Accurately assessing the impact of such a large earthquake typically takes considerable time — hours, days, or even weeks — particularly in areas with limited communication, said Hubbard. Myanmar's ongoing armed conflict, following the 2021 military coup, complicates disaster response efforts. Much of the early reporting has come not from Myanmar itself, but from neighboring Thailand, where hundreds of people reported feeling the tremors. While damage in Thailand is significant, the situation across much of Myanmar is likely far worse. Building vulnerability and expected damage A critical question is how Myanmar's buildings responded to the intense ground motion. Most structures in the country lack earthquake-resistant designs, as Myanmar has never implemented effective or widespread seismic building codes. 'An earthquake of this size hasn't happened since most occupied buildings have been constructed, so there isn't a lot of data to go on,' Hubbard noted. 'They do have a lot of wood construction, which on the one hand is less dangerous in terms of collapse hazard, but on the other hand is very likely to sustain heavy damage or allow fires to spread. We can also expect widespread collapse of cultural structures like pagodas, of which many beautiful examples can be found in Sagaing, close to the fault trace.' 'Given the unstable situation in Myanmar, much of the new scientific data will likely be remotely sensed,' Hubbard said. 'It is also likely that we will begin to see satellite imagery of the rupture area in the next couple of days. That imagery will enable direct estimates of the rupture length and slip amount by pixel correlation,' Hubbard added. Regional impact and international response A state of emergency has been declared in six regions in Myanmar, including Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, which was close to the epicenter and has suffered massive destruction. In Thailand, 10 people died in Bangkok, mostly in the collapse of an under-construction skyscraper. Up to 100 construction workers are believed to be trapped in the rubble near Bangkok's sprawling Chatuchak market. A crane collapse at a second construction site prompted city officials to shut down metro and light rail services overnight for safety inspections. Hundreds of residents in Bangkok slept in parks overnight, either unable to return home or fearful of structural damage to their buildings. The scale of devastation has prompted Myanmar's military regime to make a rare plea for international assistance. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing invited 'any country, any organization' to send aid and announced that all routes were open for foreign relief efforts. Offers of help quickly followed, with India among the first to pledge assistance. US President Donald Trump also confirmed that Washington had 'already spoken' with Myanmar about aid. The World Health Organization warned that the earthquake posed a major threat to life and health and was preparing to scale up its response.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Myanmar quake: what we know
A powerful earthquake centred in Myanmar has killed more than 150 people in the war-torn country and neighbouring Thailand and caused widespread damage. Here is what we know: - Powerful, and shallow - The 7.7-magnitude quake hit northwest of Myanmar's Sagaing at 12:50 pm (0650 GMT) on Friday at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles). It was followed minutes later by a powerful 6.7-magnitude aftershock and a dozen smaller tremors. The quake was felt across the region, with shaking reported from India to the west and China to the east, as well as Cambodia and Laos. The quake hit along the Sagaing Fault that runs from the coast to Myanmar's northern border, according to earthquake scientists Judith Hubbard and Kyle Bradley. It "has long been considered one of the most dangerous strike-slip faults on Earth" because of its proximity to major cities Yangon and Mandalay, as well as capital Naypyidaw, they wrote in an analysis. The fault is comparatively simple and straight, which geologists believe can lead to especially large quakes, they added. - Over 150 killed - At least 144 people have been confirmed dead in the quake in Myanmar, according to the country's junta chief. However, Min Aung Hlaing warned the toll was likely to rise given the widespread destruction across the country. Myanmar's four years of civil war, sparked by the military seizing power, have also weakened the country's emergency and health services, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster. In Thailand, 10 people were killed in Bangkok, most in the collapse of an under-construction skyscraper. But up to 100 more construction workers were believed trapped in the rubble of the building, near the sprawling Chatuchak market. Rescue operations continued throughout the night, though it was proving complicated to pick through the unstable rubble. - Widespread damage - The quake caused extensive damage in Myanmar. There was massive destruction in Mandalay, where multiple buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and twisted metal coated in dust, dotted with people attempting rescues. The Ava bridge running across the Irawaddy river from Sagaing, built nearly 100 years ago, collapsed into the swirling waters below. There were reports of damage to Mandalay airport, potentially complicating relief efforts, as well as to the city's university and palace, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In Naypyidaw, AFP reporters saw buildings toppled and roads ruptured. At a hospital in the capital, patients were being treated outdoors after the quake damaged the building, bringing down the emergency department's entrance. Electricity outages were reported in several places, with power limited to four hours in Yangon due to quake damage. Communications across affected areas were also patchy, with phone networks largely down. In Bangkok, a crane collapsed at a second building site and the city shut down metro and light rail services overnight to inspect for damage. Several hundred people slept in parks overnight, city authorities said, either unable to get home or worried about the structural integrity of their buildings. The quake prompted thousands of people to flee shaking buildings in Thailand, where quakes are rare. Even hospitals were evacuated, with one woman delivering a baby in the street in Bangkok, and a surgeon continuing to operate on a patient after being forced to leave the theatre mid-operation. - Aid pleas, offers - The scale of the devastation prompted Myanmar's isolated military regime to make a rare plea for international assistance. Myanmar's junta chief invited "any country, any organisation" to help with relief and said he he "opened all ways for foreign aid". Offers of assistance flooded in, with neighbour India among the first to say it was ready to help. The European Union offered support, and US President Donald Trump said Washington had "already spoken" with Myanmar about aid. "It's a real bad one, and we will be helping," he told reporters. The World Health Organization said it was preparing to surge support in response to "a very, very big threat to life and health." burs-sah/pdw/fox
