Geology of Myanmar

The picture shows the location of Myanmar in Southeast Asia.

The geology of Myanmar is shaped by dramatic, ongoing tectonic processes controlled by shifting tectonic components as the Indian Plate slides northwards and towards Southeast Asia.[1] Myanmar spans across parts of three tectonic plates (the Indian Plate, Burma microplate and Shan Thai Block) separated by north-trending faults. To the west, a highly oblique subduction zone separates the offshore Indian Plate from the Burma microplate, which underlies most of the country. In the center-east of Myanmar, a right lateral strike slip fault extends from south to north across more than 1,000 km (620 mi).[2] These tectonic zones are responsible for large earthquakes in the region.[1] The India-Eurasia plate collision which initiated in the Eocene provides the last geological pieces of Myanmar,[3] and thus Myanmar preserves a more extensive Cenozoic geological record as compared to records of the Mesozoic and Paleozoic eras. Myanmar is physiographically divided into three regions: the Indo-Burman Range, Myanmar Central Belt and the Shan Plateau;[4] these all display an arcuate shape bulging westwards. The varying regional tectonic settings of Myanmar not only give rise to disparate regional features, but also foster the formation of petroleum basins and a diverse mix of mineral resources.[5]

  1. ^ a b Hurukawa, Nobuo; Tun, Pa Pa; Shibazaki, Bunichiro (2012-04-01). "Detailed geometry of the subducting Indian Plate beneath the Burma Plate and subcrustal seismicity in the Burma Plate derived from joint hypocenter relocation". Earth, Planets and Space. 64 (4): 333–343. doi:10.5047/eps.2011.10.011. ISSN 1880-5981.
  2. ^ Searle, M. P.; Noble, S. R.; Cottle, J. M.; Waters, D. J.; Mitchell, A. H. G.; Hlaing, Tin; Horstwood, M. S. A. (2007-06-01). "Tectonic evolution of the Mogok metamorphic belt, Burma (Myanmar) constrained by U-Th-Pb dating of metamorphic and magmatic rocks". Tectonics. 26 (3): TC3014. Bibcode:2007Tecto..26.3014S. doi:10.1029/2006TC002083. ISSN 0278-7407. S2CID 128529647.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Mukhopadhyay, Manoj; Dasgupta, Sujit (1988-06-01). "Deep structure and tectonics of the burmese arc: constraints from earthquake and gravity data". Tectonophysics. 149 (3): 299–322. Bibcode:1988Tectp.149..299M. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(88)90180-1. ISSN 0040-1951. S2CID 129288739.
  5. ^ Gardiner, Nicholas J.; Robb, Laurence J.; Morley, Christopher K.; Searle, Michael P.; Cawood, Peter A.; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Kirkland, Christopher L.; Roberts, Nick M. W.; Myint, Tin Aung (2016-12-01). "The tectonic and metallogenic framework of Myanmar: A Tethyan mineral system" (PDF). Ore Geology Reviews. 79 (Supplement C): 26–45. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2016.04.024.