M5.9 Earthquake 121 km WSW of Myitkyina, Myanmar — May 31, 2023
2023-05-31 11:20:14 UTC (2023-05-31) · approx. 5:20 PM UTC+6 local
Felt by 6 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.0 (severe).
On May 31, 2023 at 11:20 UTC, a magnitude 5.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 121 km WSW of Myitkyina, Myanmar, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 25.1051°, 96.2315°. The earthquake was reported felt by 6 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.0 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 194 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 654, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Myitkyina (population 90,894).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 11 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 7.1 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 6 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 | 4,262,998 |
| MMI 4 | light | 2,828,657 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 229,165 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 58,528 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 17,771 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 3,623 |
Earthquake Details
96.2315°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Myitkyina, Myanmar?
The magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck 121 km WSW of Myitkyina, Myanmar on May 31, 2023 at 11:20 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 6 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.0 (severe). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 25.1051°, 96.2315°, which is 121 km WSW of Myitkyina, Myanmar. The nearest populated place is Myitkyina (population 90,894).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.9 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000k58h). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, May 31, 2023). M5.9 Earthquake 121 km WSW of Myitkyina, Myanmar — May 31, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000k58h/