DAMAGING M5.5 Earthquake struck on Sunday Morning near Meiktila in Myanmar.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 13th, 2025. Last updated April 28th, 2025.

Under land 21 miles from Meiktila in Myanmar, a DAMAGING and significant MAG-5.5 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday April 13th, 2025. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage and have a significant risk at casualties.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Myanmar, 21 miles (34 km) north-northeast of Meiktila in Mandalay. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 5 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 13, 2025 08:54AM (Yangon Time) - Apr 13, 2025 02:24 Universal Time.
Location:	21 mi NNE of Meiktila, Mandalay, Myanmar. Coordinates 21°9'14"N 96°0'20"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 236 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 .
Depth:	5 mi (8 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level ORANGE (orange). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 100 and 1,000 fatalities, and a 93% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 10,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level ORANGE (orange). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 100 and 1,000 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 92% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 10,000 million USD.

Roughly 19 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 19 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VIII, which corresponds with severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage. Roughly 86,360 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 10 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Myanmar , around 19 million people, with impact levels up to VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). In Thailand, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Myanmar . Located 21 miles (34 km) north-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Meiktila (Mandalay, Myanmar) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Meiktila is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Mandalay is located 57 mi to the north and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Nay Pyi Taw is located 98 mi to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Meiktila is located 21 mi to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 28 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 28 people have reported shaking in 10 places in 3 countries (Thailand, India, Myanmar).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Meiktila, Mandalay, Myanmar: 9 people.
• Mandalay, Mandalay, Myanmar: 6 people.
• Pyinmana, Mandalay, Myanmar: 3 people.
• Yamethin, Mandalay, Myanmar: 3 people.
• Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani, Thailand: 2 people.
• Phra Pradaeng, Samut Prakan, Thailand: 1 person.
• Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand: 1 person.
• Jaipur, Rajasthan, India: 1 person.
• Mawlamyine, Mon, Myanmar: 1 person.
• Monywa, Sagaing, Myanmar: 1 person.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.8 was detected 60 mi (97 km) north-northeast of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 6 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 28th, 2025, when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit 38 mi (61 km) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on March 28th, 2025.

In total, 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every year.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 28/04/25 01:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000q5ps
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250413_0000026
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: