South-Eastern Asia
What tectonic plate is Myanmar on?
Myanmar spans 3 tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate (49%), the Indian Plate (46%) and the Sunda Plate (5.2%).
- Plates
- 3
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 31
- Holocene volcanoes
- 1
- Land area
- 662,766 km²
Plates under Myanmar
Share of Myanmar's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
5 plate boundaries run through or along Myanmar: the Eurasian-Indian boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr), the Eurasian-Sunda boundary (convergent, about 2.6 cm/yr), the Burma-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 5.0 cm/yr), the Burma-Indian boundary (convergent, about 2.5 cm/yr) and the Sunda-Burma boundary (divergent, about 4.3 cm/yr).
- Eurasian and Indian: convergent, 4.7 cm/yr
- Eurasian and Sunda: convergent, 2.6 cm/yr
- Burma and Eurasian: convergent, 5.0 cm/yr
- Burma and Indian: convergent, 2.5 cm/yr
- Sunda and Burma: divergent, 4.3 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Burma-Eurasian boundary, where the plates move about 5.0 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Myanmar
Myanmar has frequent large earthquakes: 31 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 29 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 km NW of Taunggyi, Myanmar | M7.9 | 1912 | 15 km | Eurasian |
| Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar) Earthquake | M7.7 | 2025 | 10 km | Eurasian |
| Myanmar | M7.6 | 1946 | 15 km | Indian |
| 37 km S of Sarupathar, India | M7.6 | 1931 | 15 km | Eurasian |
| 36 km SSW of Pyu, Myanmar | M7.5 | 1930 | 10 km | Indian |
| 41 km SW of Nyaunglebin, Myanmar | M7.4 | 1930 | 35 km | Indian |
Volcanoes in Myanmar
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 1 volcano active in the last 12,000 years in Myanmar.
- Popa Stratovolcano · 1,518 m Last eruption 6050 BCE
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Myanmar on?
Myanmar spans 3 tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate (49%), the Indian Plate (46%) and the Sunda Plate (5.2%).
Is Myanmar on a plate boundary?
5 plate boundaries run through or along Myanmar: the Eurasian-Indian boundary (convergent, about 4.7 cm/yr), the Eurasian-Sunda boundary (convergent, about 2.6 cm/yr), the Burma-Eurasian boundary (convergent, about 5.0 cm/yr), the Burma-Indian boundary (convergent, about 2.5 cm/yr) and the Sunda-Burma boundary (divergent, about 4.3 cm/yr).
Does Myanmar get earthquakes?
Myanmar has frequent large earthquakes: 31 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 29 of 213). The largest was the M7.9 32 km NW of Taunggyi, Myanmar in 1912.
Are there volcanoes in Myanmar?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 1 volcano active in the last 12,000 years in Myanmar.