You’re Invited! Webinars on Observations from the 2025 M7.7 Myanmar Earthquake

acharya87
Jul 14
3 min read

At GeoHazards International, we are working to reduce the impacts of future hazard events, and learning from recent disasters is an important way for us to do this. Please join us for a two-part series of webinars sharing observations on the March 28, 2025 M7.7 Myanmar earthquake. This earthquake ruptured approximately 460 km of the right-lateral, strike-slip Sagaing Fault, causing severe damage and loss of life in central Myanmar, with damage and fatalities occurring as far away as Bangkok, Thailand, over 500 km from the end of the fault rupture.

The first webinar will focus on Myanmar, where extensive surface rupture was observed, along with ground failure, infrastructure damage, and numerous building collapses. The second webinar will focus on Thailand, where site conditions in Bangkok amplified very long-period ground motions, and damage to tall buildings occurred, including the well-publicized collapse of a building under construction.

Webinar on Impacts in Myanmar (two sessions)

The first webinar will take place in two sessions to accommodate different time zones, one for Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific (Session A), and one for the Americas and Europe (Session B).

Session A for Asia-Pacific: Thursday, July 31 9-10:30am India / 10-11:30am Myanmar / 11:30am-1pm Philippines / 3:30-5pm New Zealand (Wednesday, July 30 8:30-10pm Pacific). REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION A.

Session B for Americas and Europe: Thursday, July 31 8-9:30am Pacific / 10-11:30am Central / 11am-12:30pm Eastern / 5-6:30pm Central Europe / 9:30-11pm Myanmar. REGISTER HERE FOR SESSION B.

Presenters will share observations from the field and from a collaborative virtual reconnaissance effort by the Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) Network, Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team, GeoHazards International (GHI), and Asian Institute of Technology. The Joint Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report, resulting from the joint effort by the organizations above, is available here.

U Saw Htwe Zaw will share observations by the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, an association of professionals within the Federation of Myanmar Engineering Societies that investigated damage in Mandalay and other affected cities. Dr. Susan Hough of USGS will discuss the seismological and strong motion aspects of the event. Dr. Jeanine Engelbrecht of BGC Engineering will share GEER’s observations of ground failure and related impacts, and Dr. Ji-Eun Byun of University of Glasgow will share EEFIT’s virtual observations for buildings and infrastructure. As the Joint Virtual Assessment Team Lead, I am honored to serve as moderator.

Surface fault rupture across a highway in Sagaing, Myanmar. Photo: Heung Min Son via X.

Webinar on Impacts in Thailand (one session)

Wednesday August 6 6-7:30pm US Pacific (UTC-7) / 9-10:30pm US Eastern

Thursday August 7 8-9:30am Thailand (UTC+7) / 7:30-9 am Myanmar

The second webinar, Observations from the 2025 M7.7 Myanmar Earthquake: Impacts in Thailand and Engineering Implications, will take place in a single 90-minute session on August 6 (U.S.) August 7 (Thailand). Presenters from Thailand and the U.S. will share findings on the engineering impacts in Thailand, including the performance of tall buildings and the role of basin effects in Bangkok, as well as the implications for structural engineering design and practice internationally.

Dr. Pennung Warnitchai, Professor of Structural Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology, and Dr. Teraphan Ornthammarath, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Mahidol University, will present on the findings from Thailand, with additional comment from Dr. Eduardo Miranda, Professor of Engineering at Stanford and co-chair of the EERI Learning From Earthquakes Program.

REGISTER HERE FOR SECOND WEBINAR

Warm Regards,