Chapter 21 The Kyaukkyan Fault, Myanmar

The Fault is an active dextral strike-slip structure that passes 510 km north–south across the western Shan Plateau (e.g. Chhibber 1934; Le Dain et al. 1984; Wang et al. 2014) (Fig. 21.1a). It lies broadly parallel to and about 100–150 km to the east of the central Sagaing Fault. Unlike the rather discrete Sagaing Fault, the Fault is characterized by a broad array of splaying segments and basins, dominated by the Inle Lake releasing bend and associated extensional fault systems (Fig. 21.1b). In the north the fault terminates within the complex intersection between the sinistral Kyaukme and Momeik faults, the largely inactive Shan Scarp Fault Zone and the Sagaing Fault. In the south the fault curves to the SW and links with the Mae Ping Fault in Thailand, which itself terminates as it passes east into Cambodia and offshore into the Gulf of Thailand (e.g. Lacassin et al. 1997; Morley 2004; Morley et al. 2011). Several other faults of the western Shan Plateau, such as the Nampun and Taungoo faults, also converge with the western Mae Ping Fault in the region of Papun, indicating that the Mae Ping Fault dissipates or transfers much of the dextral strain of the western Shan Plateau. Fig. 21.1. Kyaukkyan Fault location and overview. ( a ) Tectonic setting of the Fault, modified after Morley et al. (2011), Soe Thura Tun u0026 Maung Thein (2012), Wang et al. (2014), Morley u0026 Alvey (2015) and Soe Thura Tun u0026 Watkinson (2017). ( b ) Main faults making up the Fault. Solid line: confident interpretation; dashed line: uncertain interpretation; dotted line: other related faults. Earthquake locations from the NEIC and IRIS catalogues 1972–2010. Map location shown in (a).Although it has been devoid of large seismic events for over …