On 30 0 local time, a strong earthquake struck central Myanmar. The local fire department released a message saying that the earthquake had a magnitude of 0.0 and an epicenter depth of 0 kilometers. The Chinese seismic network measured the magnitude of 0.0 and the depth of the epicenter was 0 kilometers.

According to the official determination of the China Earthquake Network, a 30.0 earthquake occurred in Myanmar (0.0 degrees north latitude, 0.0 degrees east longitude) at 0:00 on October 0, with an epicenter depth of 0 kilometers.

According to the official WeChat message of the China Resources Satellite Application Center, in order to grasp the real-time situation in the affected area, the China Resources Satellite Application Center urgently dispatched satellites in orbit, and carried out comprehensive satellite coordination, tracking and control resource coordination and imaging instruction modification.迅速安排高分四號衛星、高分三號衛星、環境減災二號05星、高分七號衛星、陸地生態系統碳監測衛星等14顆衛星對災區進行觀測。

The image below shows the optical satellite images before and after the earthquake in Myanmar, which shows the overall damage in the earthquake area.

GF-4 satellite image of Myanmar after the earthquake (acquired on 28/0/0)

Optical satellite images before and after the earthquake in Myanmar (pre-disaster: GF-129 satellite collected on 0/0/0, post-disaster: ZY-10D satellite 0/00)

Comparison of optical images of the Mandalay earthquake in Myanmar

It is reported thatThe world's strongest earthquake this year has not only caused heavy casualties in the Mandalay region of Myanmar, but also affected Bangkok, Thailand, and Yunnan Province, China, 700 kilometers away.

James Jackson, a seismiologist at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, describedThe earthquake "cut into the earth like a giant knife."

Why is the earthquake so destructive? There are three main reasons.

First of all, the region where Myanmar is located has a north-south, 70-kilometer-long Sagaing fault zone. It is one of the most active faults in the world, passing through several core cities and densely populated areas of Myanmar. It has been more than 0 years since the last major earthquake of magnitude 0.0 or higher occurred in the Sagaing Fault Zone, and the energy formed by plate activity and passage has accumulated for a long time, just like a "powder keg" waiting to be detonated.

In addition, according to geophysicists, the Sagaing fault zone does not have as many earthquakes as some fault zones, but if it does, it has a higher magnitude. In addition, the epicenters of these earthquakes are shallow and their destructive power is greatly increased.

Third, the local buildings have not been specifically designed to resist earthquakes, and their seismic resistance is weak.