Myanmar Quake Shifts the Earth: Over 5,000 Dead as Satellite Data Reveals Ground Moved by 10 Feet
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 28, 2025, causing catastrophic damage and claiming more than 5,400 lives. Just twelve minutes later, a magnitude 6.7 aftershock shook the region again, compounding the devastation. The twin seismic events, among the most powerful in the country’s history, originated just 10 kilometers beneath the surface along the active Sagaing Fault.
The quakes resulted in severe ground shaking, widespread building collapses, and extensive infrastructure damage not only in Myanmar but as far as Bangkok, Thailand—nearly 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter. Billions of dollars in damage have been reported, and the disaster has sparked a widespread humanitarian response amid ongoing civil unrest in the region.
Now, satellite imagery has revealed just how massive the event truly was—capturing dramatic changes in the Earth’s surface visible from space.
Using data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1A radar satellite and Sentinel-2 optical satellite, scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Caltech’s Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) team have mapped the ground deformation caused by the quakes. The data shows horizontal ground movement exceeding 10 feet (over 3 meters) in some areas, with fault offsets of more than 6 meters (about 20 feet) along parts of the rupture zone.
The rupture extended approximately 550 kilometers, making it one of the longest strike-slip surface ruptures ever recorded. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was caused by right-lateral strike-slip motion along the north-south trending Sagaing Fault, a major tectonic boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates.
What has made this event particularly remarkable to scientists is evidence suggesting it may have been a rare “supershear” earthquake. In such events, the rupture moves along the fault faster than seismic shear waves travel, significantly amplifying the destructive power of the quake and spreading damage far from the source.
“Supershear quakes are incredibly dangerous and rare. They can release energy much more efficiently, like the crack of a whip, making the shaking stronger and more widespread,” said a geophysicist from the ARIA team. “This one had the perfect conditions: a long, straight fault and high stress buildup.”
The human toll has been devastating. More than 5,400 people have been confirmed dead across Myanmar and neighboring countries, with thousands more injured or missing. Historic temples, mosques, schools, and homes were destroyed, and states of emergency have been declared in several regions.
In addition to the tragic loss of life, this disaster has laid bare the region’s vulnerability to high-magnitude quakes and the critical need for improved building codes, disaster preparedness, and early warning systems. The response has been complicated by Myanmar’s ongoing civil conflict, which has disrupted aid delivery in several quake-hit areas.
Yet, amid the tragedy, the event also highlights the growing role of satellite technology in disaster response. The rapid deployment of remote sensing tools has enabled scientists and responders to assess damage in real time, even in inaccessible regions.
This is Myanmar’s strongest earthquake since 1912, and it has left a lasting scar—both on the landscape and in the lives of those affected. As the country begins the long road to recovery, global attention is once again drawn to the urgent need for resilience in the face of natural disasters intensified by complex geopolitical realities.
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