Geokolloqium, Dr. Sofia-Katerina Kufner

- GEOWISSENSCHAFTLICHES KOLLOQUIUM -

A seismological view on Myanmar: from tearing lithospheric slabs and destructive crustal earthquakes

Vortragende: Dr. Sofia-Katerina Kufner
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU)

 
Abstract
Myanmar is located south of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis and largely situated on the Burmese microplate, where two main players drive tectonic activity. First, along the Burmese plate’s western margin, the indentation of the Indian Plate into Asia led to the oblique subduction of India, featuring intense intermediate depth seismicity. Second, along the plate’s eastern margin, dextral motion along the Sagaing Fault separates the Burmese microplate from the Asian Plate, leading to repeated large and destructive crustal earthquakes, like the most recent in March 2025. The associated lithospheric structure is complex and three-dimensional and includes a transition from an oceanic-transitional subduction slab to continental subduction and collision, likely involving plate tearing and bending. Furthermore, Myanmar exhibits late Pleistocene to Quaternary volcanism that likely occurred in multiple distinct phases. Geochemical studies reveal pronounced compositional differences among volcanic sites, which has led to different interpretations regarding timing and location of potential slab tears. In this talk, I present seismological results from data recorded by around 140 regional seismic stations, primarily from temporary deployments, that had been operated within Myanmar and surroundings between 2019 and 2021. These results, including earthquake locations, rupture mechanisms and seismic tomography, enable illuminating the geometry and characteristics of the different lithospheric units involved in the subduction-collision transition and their relation to seismicity.