Saturday, March 29

Over 700 people are dead after a massive earthquake struck Myanmar yesterday, with rippling effects across neighboring countries like China and Thailand as well.

The earthquake struck near the town of Sagaing, located in the Sagaing Province, at 12:50 pm, and it had a recorded magnitude of 7.7. Unfortunately, the earthquake's epicenter happened to be extremely close to a highly populated area-- the city of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city with a population of 1.7 million people, is located just across the Irrawaddy River from Sagaing.

Several aftershocks were also recorded, including one of magnitude 6.7, and numerous others of magnitudes 3-5 have struck the region over the past day.

Due to the quake's magnitude, its effects were spread far and wide. While the epicenter was located near Sagaing, a large stretch of central Myanmar around the Sagaing Fault experienced severe shaking of similar intensity to the epicenter, including the capital city of Naypyidaw. Strong shaking also stretched into northern and southern Myanmar, the latter of which contains the country's largest city, Yangon.

Buildings came crumbling down as the shaking obliterated their foundations, and other infrastructure like roads and bridges were also quickly destroyed by the earthquake. Many of the buildings imploded after they lost support, leading to the belief that many people could still be trapped inside the rubble. So far, officials have reported almost 700 fatalities, and they expect the death toll to rise as more bodies are uncovered.

However, the effects were not just limited to within the country. Shaking equivalent to around a 4.0 magnitude earthquake or greater was also felt across eastern Bangladesh, some parts of eastern India, and a large swath of northern Thailand.

In Thailand's capital, Bangkok, the shaking was especially dangerous, as high-rises tower over the streets-- the megacity has a population of over 17.4 million people. Scary videos posted on social media showed water spilling off the edge of an infinity pool at the top of a skyscraper, while a 33-story, under-construction high-rise in the Chatuchak neighborhood came smashing down to the ground. While people tried to quickly flee the scene, authorities have confirmed that as many as 100 construction workers are still trapped inside the ruins of the building.

Search-and-rescue operations are now kicking into high gear, with officials and volunteers swarming the streets and sifting through rubble to search for any survivors. India, the European Union, and the United States, among others, have confirmed that they are ready to supply aid if needed, which will likely be crucial to rescue efforts in hard-to-reach, rural areas affected by the quake.

Additionally, Myanmar is currently experiencing a civil war, which has left the country with weak, unorganized emergency response teams that are unprepared to handle disasters of this size.

Unfortunately, major earthquakes like this are common in Myanmar due to the location of the Sagaing Fault. While the Indian Plate meets the Eurasian Plate just west of Myanmar, there is also a smaller tectonic plate in between the two on the east side of India, which is known as the Burma Microplate. This microplate forms a fault line where it meets the Eurasian Plate-- the Sagaing Fault.

This fault line runs straight down through the center of Myanmar, and it is notorious for producing major earthquakes. Between 1930 and 1956, in a span of just 26 years, six earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater were recorded, and another strong quake on the fault in 2016 had a magnitude of 6.8.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Vikings never wore horns on their helmets-- putting horns on Viking helmets was actually an idea created by a costume designer for an opera in the 19th century.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. (Anne Frank)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Derelict (adj, DAIR-uh-likt) - Derelict is a formal word that describes something that is no longer cared for or used by anyone. It can also describe someone who is negligent or who fails to do what needs to be done.

In a Sentence: The kids made sure to stay away from the spooky derelict houses in the neighborhood on Halloween.