Hey, my name's Mrs. Harking.

The title of today's lesson is "The 2025 Myanmar Earthquake".

It is taken from the unit "Tectonic Hazards: Why is Earth Restless?" This is a really important example of a devastating earthquake despite the fact that the news coverage has reduced significantly since the earthquake first hit.

There are some challenging themes in today's lesson as the earthquake has had a devastating impact, and deaths will be discussed.

Just to give you a heads up for the content that's going to follow.

Today's outcome is to describe the causes, effects, and recovery efforts made following the 2025 Myanmar earthquake.

Here's some keywords that are useful to know before the lesson today.

If there's any you are less familiar with, you might want to pause the video, and write them down now.

Our first keyword is conservative plate boundary.

This is a plate boundary where two tectonic plates move past each other either in different directions and/or at different speeds in the same direction.

Aftershock is our next keyword, and this is a smaller earthquake that follows an initial larger earthquake.

Our final keyword is GDP per capita.

It is the total value of all the goods and services produced in a country, its gross domestic product, or GDP, in a year, divided by the population to give an amount per person.

So the per capita part of this means per person, so it's the amount of money on average per person.

Here's our lesson outline.

Our lesson today is in three parts.

First of all, why did the 2025 earthquake happen? Secondly, why were so many people affected? And then, lastly, will Myanmar recover? First of all, we'll look at why did the 2025 earthquake happen? A magnitude 7.

7 earthquake hit Myanmar, formally known as Burma, on the 28th of March, 2025.

The epicentre was in central Myanmar.

You can see this located on the map on the right here.

The map shows the location of the epicentre in the centre of those concentric circles, and we can see the area that felt the shaking shown by the area covered by those circles.

Myanmar is shown shaded in orange, and we can see where that is located on our world map at the top there.

So it is in Asia, and we've got neighbouring India and China, just to give you an idea of its location.

It was one of the most devastating earthquakes in Myanmar's history, with widespread destruction, death, and homelessness.

Let's have a quick check.

The epicentre of the earthquake was located in Myanmar's.

Is it A, northern region? B, southern, coastal region? C, western neighbour, India? Or D, central region? Well done, yes, it's a central region as we can see on the map there.

The Sagaing fault runs through central Myanmar separating the Burma microplate, also referred to as the Burma block, from the Sunda plate.

The Burma microplate moves north relative to the Sunda plate.

You can see I've put an arrow on the map here to show you where that's moving.

While the Sunda plate stays quite still, it does still move slightly to the east-southeast.

The Sagaing fault is conservative.

Plates are locked together at this boundary due to friction, yet the plates are still on the move.

Stress builds up over time until the rock fractures or breaks.

This releases waves of energy.

The ground shakes in an earthquake.

We can model this with our hands.

We can see that the plates are locked together just in the same way that my knuckles are locked together here, and the stress builds up over time.

I'm trying to move one hand up and one hand down.

I can't quite do that, because they're locked together due to friction.

Then, the rock fractures or breaks, and that's the point at which the energy is released, and we experience an earthquake.

Now, it's time for a check for understanding.

The Sagaing fault is one example of a.

Is it A, a conservative plate boundary? B, a constructive plate boundary? C, a destructive plate boundary? Or D, a collision plate boundary? Well done, it's a conservative plate boundary.

Rock either side of the Sagaing fault line slipped by up to four metres in places.

It released tension that many believe built up over 200 years in these locations.

This animation combines before and after satellite images of Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar.

The relative plate movement is clear even in the satellite image.

Time for a quick check for understanding.

True or false? An earthquake can release stress that has built up over hundreds of years.

Well done, it's true.

This is believed to be the case on a section of Myanmar's Sagaing fault line, where a magnitude 7.

7 earthquake occurred in March 2025.

Right, time for our task A now.

Can you complete the explanation? At the Sagaing, which is a conservative boundary, the Burma microplate and the Sunda plates were locked together due to.

Stress has likely been building up for around, before being released during the March, what year, earthquake causing up to four, what unit, of movement in places.

There's a map to the right just to help you there with that.

Just pause the video now to give yourself time to do this.

Well done, everyone.

Have a look at your answers compared to mine.

It should say at the Sagaing fault line, which is a conservative boundary, the Burma microplate and the Sunda plates were locked together due to friction.

Stress has likely been building up for around 200 years before being released during the March 2025 earthquake, causing up to four metres of movement in places.

Did you get all those right? Well done, everyone.

Great effort.

Now, it's time to move on to the second part of our lesson.

Why were so many people affected? Thandar Aye retells her experience of the Myanmar earthquake.

"The floor began to shake, at first gently, then violently, the walls cracked and the glass shattered around us.

When the shaking stopped, half our house was gone, and the street outside was chaos: people screaming, pulling others from the rubble, dust choking the air.

That night, we slept on the school field with nothing but the clothes on our back, terrified of aftershocks.

In the days that followed, we had no electricity, barely any water, but neighbours shared what they could, and a local monk opened a temple for shelter." How would it feel to lose so much in one day? Feel free to pause the video to discuss.

Myanmar earthquake affected millions of people.

Many were made homeless, thousands injured, and more than 3,000 people died.

The earthquake was so devastating, because of what life was like before the earthquake, as well as what happened during and afterwards.

We could see on the simple timeline below the pre-earthquake, earthquake, and post-earthquake timeframes.

We're going to break this down to look at each one separately.

Firstly, pre-earthquake.

Myanmar has a complicated history.

The country faced conflicts between different ethnic groups and the government, meaning hazard management was not a priority.

Myanmar is also a low-income country, meaning there was less money to spend on preparations for an earthquake.

You can see on the right-hand side here the GDP per capita in 2023 for Myanmar compared to the UK, and compared to the global average.

Few people had received any training about what to do in the event of an earthquake.

Many buildings, especially in the rural areas and older urban areas, were not earthquake-resistant.

So we can see an example of a rural home here, and it's not been built to withstand earthquakes in the same way that it could have been.

Time for a check for understanding now.

Which statement is correct? Is it A, the country faced conflicts between different ethnic groups and the government? B, Myanmar is a high-income country, meaning there was less money to spend on preparations for an earthquake? Or C, many buildings, especially in rural and older urban areas, were earthquake-resistant? Well done.

So it should be A, the country faced conflicts between different ethnic groups and the governments.

B is incorrect as it is not a high-income country.

It is a low-income country.

And many buildings, especially in rural and older urban areas, were not earthquake-resistant.

So B and C both incorrect there.

Now, we're looking at the earthquake itself.

The high 7.

7 magnitude and shallow focus meant the surface shaking was intense.

We can see that on the map to the right, where the red colours show the highest-intensity shaking.

The scale, or key, for that is up top.

Millions of residents in the city of Mandalay, which we can see located on the map, were exposed to severe shaking as the epicentre was nearby.

Remember, the epicentre is the point on the earth surface which experiences the most shaking.

Homes, schools, and hospitals collapsed trapping people inside, and causing thousands of deaths and injuries.

We are now moving on to look at the post-earthquake timeframe.

Roads, bridges, and power lines were badly damaged, which slowed down rescue teams trying to reach people in need.

Since many survivors had to stay in crowded shelters, or sleep outside, the risk of disease increased.

That's because they wouldn't have had access to clean toilets, washing facilities, tap water that would be safe to drink, etc.

So, although some of the shelters may have had some of these resources, there wouldn't have been the same quality of resources that there would've been before the earthquake.

Strong aftershocks hit the area damaging buildings that were already unstable.

Remember, aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that happen after the main earthquake.

Time for a check for understanding.

True or false? If someone survives and is not injured during the quake, they are then safe.

It is false.

Why? Well done, since many survivors had to stay in crowded shelters, or sleep outside, the risk of diseases increased.

In addition, strong aftershocks hit the area damaging buildings that were already unstable.

Task B now.

Add key facts to your timeline about what life was like in Myanmar before, during, and after the earthquake, that help us to understand why this event was such a disaster.

Please pause the video now to give yourself time to do this.

Well done, everyone.

Let's take a look at this answer compared to your own.

So first of all, pre-earthquake.

We have that conflict and poverty meant earthquake preparedness was not a priority.

Many people were not trained in what to do during an earthquake.

And many buildings were not earthquake-resistant.

Then, as the earthquake happened, we have a few more details.

So the high 7.

7 magnitude, did to get that fact in there, that detail, and shallow focus meant the surface shaking was intense.

Dense population close to the epicentre further caused problems, meant more people were exposed to the hazard.

Buildings collapsed, causing thousands of deaths and injuries.

After the earthquake, so post-earthquake, we have damaged infrastructure slowed down rescue teams. Crowded shelters increase the risk of disease.

And strong aftershocks damaged unstable buildings.

Well done, everyone.

Feel free to pause the video now if you'd like to add anything to your own timeline.

We're moving on to the third part of our lesson today.

It is will Myanmar recover? Many organisations provided aid for more than 6.

3 million people who needed support after the earthquake.

For example, charities, such as the Disaster Emergency Committee, DEC, and the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent societies.

International organisations, for example, the United Nations.

Local and national governments such as China and the U.

S.

A.

Time for a check for understanding.

True or false? Support for victims of the earthquake came from local organisations only.

Is this true or false? Well done, it's false.

Why is that? Yes, other countries, international charities, for example, the Disaster Emergency Committee, and other international organisations also played an important role.

The support was wide ranging.

Let's hear from some of the survivors to find out what support they were offered.

"Search and rescue teams were sent to help us find trapped relatives and friends." "Many countries have donated money." "Some tents were provided, so we had basic shelter." "Doctors and medical suppliers that were sent saved the lives of some injured people." "We have been able to get some food from a charity." Time for a check for understanding.

Which item sent helps to provide shelter for those made homeless by the earthquake? Is it A, search and rescue teams? B, doctors and medical supplies? C, food supplies? Or D, tents and blankets? Well done, it's tents and blankets.

One inspiring story comes from a young boy named Min Ko.

Min Ko's village was among the hardest hit by the earthquake.

When his family lost their home, they were relocated to an emergency shelter organised by a local humanitarian group.

Despite the upheaval, Min Ko held onto his dream of becoming a doctor.

With help from volunteers who brought educational materials and created temporary learning spaces within the shelter, he and other children were able to continue their studies.

The makeshift classrooms became a place of hope and routine amid the chaos.

Jacob here says, "I have not heard about the Myanmar earthquake in the news recently.

Hopefully, that means the country has recovered." Let's have a look at this graph here.

It shows us news mentions of the Myanmar earthquake by week.

So March 28th, there is over 800 mentions in the news, and that goes down quite quickly.

So by April 25th, so that's just under a month later, we only can see 200 mentions in the news, and, then, that drops below 100 by the 16th of May.

Do you think that Jacob's right? Do you think that the country has recovered, and that's why we've heard less of it? Sofia isn't sure that that's the case.

Why do you think that the news mentions have reduced? For task C, I would like you to get up to date on what is the situation in Myanmar since the earthquake.

How is it recovering? I'd like you to write a news article just to get us up to date on this.

Pause the video now to give yourself time to do this.

Well done, everyone.

Now, unfortunately, I can't give you a model answer for this one, because the situation will be different when you are watching this video to when I'm creating it.

So your answer could include how many people are still living in tents or homeless.

It might include which organisations are still in the country, or providing support, and what the support is.

And what repairs have been made.

If you found any of those things out, that's brilliant, well done.

If there's any that you're missing, you might want to go and research a little bit further.

Fabulous, we've reached the end of our lesson now.

The summary today covers why did the 2025 earthquake happen? So we have found out today that stress had built up along the Sagaing fault line in central Myanmar.

This energy was released in the 2025 earthquake when rocks either side of the fault moved by up to four metres.

Then, we looked at why were so many people affected? Myanmar is a low-income country affected by conflict.

Few plans were in place, and earthquake-resistant building design was rare.

The 7.

7 magnitude quake occurred close to large centres of population.

Finally, we looked at will Myanmar recover? Many different organisations, large and small, have provided short-term aid for millions of people who needed support in the months after the earthquake.

Hopefully, you've updated us on a little bit more details to what the current situation is as well.

Well done, everyone.

This is a really important case study to know about.

I hope you found this interesting, and I will see you next time.

Thank you.

Bye for now.