Researchers have discovered the three super-factors that combined to cause the deadly 2025 Myanmar earthquake

Key takeaways

The March 2025, 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar in Southeast Asia ruptured about 530 kilometers (329 miles) of the Sagaing Fault, with a 450-kilometre-long (279 miles) section accelerating faster than the speed of seismic shear waves (seismic waves that shake the ground back and forth). A UCLA study showed that the southern branch of the Sagaing Fault experienced sustained velocities of up to 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) per second, while the northern branch moved slower. The straight, smooth fault, long-term stress buildup since the last major earthquake in 1839, and contrasting rock properties across the fault interface created an ideal environment for rupture to accelerate and sustain ultrafast velocities over hundreds of kilometers.

A team of scientists led by UCLA has discovered how the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar in Southeast Asia in March 2025 produced one of the longest and fastest ruptures ever recorded on Earth.

The study, published in the journal Science, shows that the quake tore off about 530 kilometers (about 329 miles) of the Sagaing Fault, with a 450-kilometre-long (279 miles) section accelerating faster than seismic shear waves, which are waves that shake the ground back and forth (not up and down). This accident caused a rare phenomenon known as supershear rupture. These “Mach-like” ruptures generate shock waves that can dramatically worsen ground shaking and damage.

“Supershear earthquakes are like breaking the sound barrier, but in rocks,” said Lingsen Ming, professor of geophysics in the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences at UCLA and senior author of the study. “They create seismic shock fronts that can double the intensity of shaking, even hundreds of kilometers away.”

Supershear earthquakes occur when faults beneath the surface rupture faster than shear waves can move through the rock. The impact mobilizes energy, which is then violently released; The effect can be compared to a sonic boom. Supershear earthquakes can produce more shaking and may be more destructive than other earthquakes of the same size.

Using an integrated approach that combines global seismic data, satellite radar (InSAR) and optical imagery, researchers have reconstructed the rupture in Myanmar in unprecedented detail. The results showed that the southern branch of the Sagaing Fault experienced extreme shear speeds of up to 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) per second, while the northern branch moved more slowly.

The team attributes the extreme speed of the rupture to several key geological factors: a straight, smooth fault, long-term stress buildup since the last major earthquake in 1839, and varying rock properties across the fault interface. Together, these conditions created an ideal environment for rupture to accelerate and maintain supershear velocities over hundreds of kilometers.

The earthquake caused widespread destruction across central Myanmar, including building collapses and soil liquefaction that could be seen from space. Because field surveys were limited by the ongoing civil conflict, researchers used satellite maps of the damage to assess the extent of the destruction from a distance.

“This event reminds us that even well-studied continental rifts can behave in unpredictable and dangerous ways,” Meng said. “Understanding the physical conditions that allow rupture to reach these velocities will help us better estimate future earthquake risks — especially on fault systems close to major cities.”

The research highlights the need to reassess seismic risk in other continental regions with similar fault geometry, such as parts of Asia and California, where long linear faults and disparate rock layers coexist.

UCLA doctoral student Liuwei Xu led the seismic imaging analysis. Co-authors include researchers from Nanjing University, Central South University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of California at Santa Barbara.

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