M4.8 Earthquake 10 km WSW of Sagaing, Myanmar — December 14, 2022
2022-12-14 20:46:31 UTC (2022-12-14) · approx. 2:46 AM UTC+6 local
Felt by 39 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.1 (very strong).
On December 14, 2022 at 20:46 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 10 km WSW of Sagaing, Myanmar, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 21.8573°, 95.8778°. The earthquake was reported felt by 39 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.1 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 87 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 379, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Sagaing (population 78,739).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 39 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 6,690,437 |
| MMI 4 | light | 3,354,220 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 469,742 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 20,276 |
Earthquake Details
95.8778°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Sagaing, Myanmar?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 10 km WSW of Sagaing, Myanmar on December 14, 2022 at 20:46 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 39 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.1 (very strong). For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 21.8573°, 95.8778°, which is 10 km WSW of Sagaing, Myanmar. The nearest populated place is Sagaing (population 78,739).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000j99a). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, December 14, 2022). M4.8 Earthquake 10 km WSW of Sagaing, Myanmar — December 14, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000j99a/