An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 on the Richter scale struck Myanmar in the early hours of Monday, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). The tremor occurred at 2:42 AM IST at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres.
The NCS confirmed the quake in a post on X, stating: “EQ of M: 4.2, On: 04/08/2025 02:42:47 IST, Lat: 20.88 N, Long: 95.82 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar.”
Myanmar lies in a highly seismically active region due to its position between four tectonic plates: the Indian, Eurasian, Sunda, and Burma plates. The country is traversed by a 1,400-kilometre-long transform fault known as the Sagaing Fault, which significantly raises the earthquake risk for major urban centers such as Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon — home to nearly half of Myanmar’s population.
Although Yangon lies farther from the main fault line, its dense population makes it vulnerable to seismic shocks. Historical records show that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Bago in 1903 also affected Yangon significantly.
So far, no damage or casualties have been reported from Monday’s tremor.
