THE PYU EARTHQUAKES of 3RD AND 4TH DECEMBER 1930 AND

SUBSEQUENT BURMA EARTHQUAKES UP TO JANUARY 1932

J. COGGIN BROWN AND P. LEICESTER [1933]

Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India Volume LXII Part 1

On the 5th May 1930 at about 08.18 PM a violent earthquake practically destroyed the
town of Pegu with great loss of life. It also caused many deaths and considerable damage
to property in Rangoon. The region of maximum intensity within which this earthquake
reached degree IX of the R-F scale, measured approximately 375 sq miles within the
Pegu and Hanthawaddy districts. It was followed by the usual crop of small aftershocks
which were felt within and about the area, but later the main center of seismic activity in
this part of Burma moved into the neighbourhood of Pado, a place situated in latitude 18°
02′ and longitude 96° 36′, 48 miles north of Pegu and close to the steep eastern flank of
the Pegu Yoma. Here 13 separate earthquakes, mainly of slight intensity were recorded in
the six months from July to December 1930. A smarter shock on September 16th cracked
the walls of the Police Station in Pado and was felt over an area extending at least 60
miles to the southeast. A series of violent shocks occurred further north still on the night
and early morning of December 3rd and 4th, the severest of which wrecked the
masonry buildings in the town of Pyu and caused about 30 deaths.

At 10.15 PM [BST] on the night of December 3rd, the inhabitants of Pyu, a small
town in the Toungoo district, 134 miles from Rangoon on the main line of the Burma
Railways from Rangoon to Mandalay, were startled by a smart earthquake which
caused general panic and lasted about 5 seconds. This shock appears to have been felt
as far north as Pyinmana in the adjoining district of Yamethin. To the south it was
recorded by most observers in the Pegu, Thaton and Amherst districts.

A severe shock occurred at Pyu at 11.06 PM accompanied like the earlier one, by a
noise resembling the roaring of the wind. This the 2nd earthquake of the series, while not
disturbing a very much larger land area than the first one, was described by most as a
stronger shock than the first. Its northern limit again appears to have been near Pyinmana
[19° 42′: 96° 12′]. While the first shock was noticed in Rangoon, the second shock was
not felt there.

At 01.22 AM on the morning of December 4th, the town was shaken by a violent
earthquake, which in the neighbourhood of Pyu itself equaled in intensity that felt at
Pegu on May 5th of the same year. Later investigation in the field located the epicenter of
this shock at between 4 and 6 miles to the WSW of Pyu, but in the town it was strong
enough to destroy utterly most of the brick buildings with a resulting death roll of some
30 persons and many injured. Numerous aftershocks occurred during the night until 05.10
AM, and at intervals for some considerable time afterwards.
The earthquake was felt throughout a great part of Burma, the Federated Shan States and
Siam. The minimum area over which it was sensible approximates 220,000 sq miles. In
the epicentral tract to the west of Pyu, it attained an intensity of degree X on the R-F
scale and was felt as far north and south on the coast as Akyab and Mergui respectively;
its outer limits in this direction pass into the Bay of Bengal. In central Burma it was
scarcely felt to the west of Irrawaddy river and it was not reported from the Cnindwin
valley or the Arakan Hill tracts. Its outer limit in the north follows the Irrawaddy north of
Mandalay, whence curving round to include Mogok and Momeik, it enters the Shan
States, where it caused widespread disturbances as far east as Keng Tung [21° 12′: 99°
36′]. It was felt throughout Siam with the exception of the far eastern and southern
provinces.

Origin Time: 18h51m31s [GMT]

Epicenter: The position of the epicenter was determined with a fair degree of accuracy
by field observations of intensity and directions of swinging lamps etc. and overturned
objects. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Kindangyi [18° 28′: 96° 23′].

Focal Depth: Shallow Crustal

Foreshocks:

Following the Pegu earthquake of May 5th 1930, a number of places within its epicentral
tract such as Pegu itself, Ohne and Kawa, experienced their fair share of aftershocks, but
before long, the most active center of seismic disturbance associated with the line of
weakness which is believed to be responsible for both the Pegu and Pyu earthquakes was
in the vicinity of Pado [18° 02′: 96° 36′]. Slight tremors were recorded here on
December 3rd at 9.55, 10.03, 11.01 and 11.15 PM. An examination of the list of
earthquakes recorded in Burma for the months preceding the Pyu earthquakes, however,
does not warrant identification of anyone of them as a premonitory indication of the Pyu
shocks. The Pyu earthquakes are identical with the Pegu one in one respect. At the same
time, the linear distribution of the vast majority of earthquakes which have happened in
Lower Burma since the Swa shock of August 8th 1929, have clearly demonstrated the
development of a zone of instability at or about the junction of the Tertiary rocks of the
plains with the crystalline and Older Palaeozoic formations of the highland to the east,
and regarded as a broad problem from a general point of view, any of the lengthy series
of shocks which have taken place in this zone from the middle of 1929 to the beginning
of 1932, may be regarded as a foreshock or for that matter as an aftershock of the others
next to it in time. The point to be emphasized here is that no circumscribed weak shocks
or tremors shortly preceding the Pyu earthquakes occurred so far, as is known within the
limits of their epicentral areas.
ISOSEISTS X AND IX:

The innermost isoseismal line encloses an area of approximately 500 sq miles, over the
greater portion of which the shock reached an intensity of IX on the R-F scale. Sufficient
evidence does exist, however to make certain that in a small limited area to the west and
WSW of Pyu, in the vicinity of Kindangyi, the earthquake was extremely severe indeed.
It lies in and about the foot of the hills which border the Pyu plain on the west and form a
well defined and remarkably straight wall-like ridge or escarpment which runs N9W for
many miles north and south of Pyu. From 2 miles south of Pyu, a 4 mile railway line
connects the Kindangyi quarry settlement. Severe buckling of the line occurred at two
places, which appeared in one case to indicate a horizontal movement of at least 2.5 feet
towards SSW. Large cracks opened parallel to the general direction of the line, while in
another position the surrounding ground was literally churned up and pitted in all
directions by sand vents. Further to the east near Obogon, vertical movements had
complicated the horizontal ones, both leaving their records in the twisted rails and
bunched up groups of sleepers. Masses of rock fell from the quarry faces and the
surrounding thin layer of soil at the foot of the hills was cracked by small fissures. In the
deeper alluvium, further east, the cracks attained a greater size and in places became
chasms in the ground, 4 to 5 feet across, and some hundred of yards in length. The only
structure which escaped total destruction in the area was the explosives magazine, a small
low masonry building, with thick stone walls set in cement, of almost monolithic
construction built on an outlying spur. The quarry manager’s bungalow, with a lower
portion of brick and an upper one of wood was left a complete ruin, the solid masonry
steps leading from the ground to the top floor alone remained standing amidst the general
wreckage. The few pagodas in the vicinity were entirely destroyed. Some of the mat and
bamboo huts in the settlement appeared to have been bodily overthrown and in others to
have totally collapsed on the spot. Reports of similarly damaged huts in the region to the
west of Zeyawadi [19° 33′: 96° 26′] as for example at Hastinapur, and to the NW of
Penwegon [18° 12′: 96° 36′] give some indication of the approximate limits of the
epicentral tract to the north and south of Kindangyi respectively.

At Pyu the shock was slighter than it was in the area just described yet even here it was
sufficient to destroy utterly most of the brick buildings in the town. The ones which
escaped were new and well built semi-pucca or brick-nogged types. The greater
proportion of houses and all the mills at Pyu are constructed of wood or wood and
corrugated iron; beyond slight tilting, the fall of projecting lean-to shelters and heavy
ornamental work, or the frequent slipping of tiles or shingles from roofs, such structures
withstood the earthquake. Mosques, temples and pagodas suffered complete destruction
and in the cases of masonry dwelling houses where walls or portions of them were left
standing at all, they were generally in shattered condition. In some extreme cases two-
storied dwelling houses appeared to have been literally hurled to the ground, falling
almost flat in low heaps of bricks, plaster and splintered beams. Foundations of heavy
mill machinery were cracked and shifted. Parts of the bazaar and court houses were
destroyed while high factory chimneys, walls, pillars, water towers and piles of bricks
were thrown down. The wooden railway station appears to have rocked about and the
tiles slid from the roof. In the station yard a train of 13 heavy trucks capsized over
towards the west while five other wagons were derailed.

Low tracts of ground sank and were flooded with oozy mixtures of sand and water.
Cracking of alluvium and of roads and railway embankments, particularly near the sides
of streams, was frequent. The three bridges crossing the Pyu river just to the north of the
town were wrecked. Piers were twisted and fractured or thrown from the vertical, while
the ends of some girders fell off their trusses and dropped down into the stream.
Abutments were thrust inwards and the surrounding ground cracked, or folded into waves
which twisted the permanent way and caused it in some places to sink several feet.

The small towns of Nyaungchidauk and Nyaungbintha, 8 and 6 miles to the north and
south of Pyu respectively, are included within isoseismal IX. All the four masonry
buildings at Nyaungchidauk were damagedwith two almost completely destroyed. The
brick foundations of the timber post supporting the railway station office were badly
cracked horizontally. Foundations of a railway bridge were fractured and the upper
broken portions pushed over their vases. The top section of the high local pagoda
collapsed. At Nyaungbintha the single pucca building was badly damaged; a high pagoda
was cracked at the top and a smaller one thrown over. The wooden railway office was
tilted to the SSE.

ISOSEIST VIII:

This includes the greater portion of the northern half of the Toungoo district and about
one quarter of the northern part of Pegu district. More or less parallel to the inner oval
formed by the higher lines in the south, it departs considerably from their shape in the
north and northeast and includes a total area of about 4,200 sq miles. The line cannot be
completed on the west owing to the absence of reports from the uninhabited forests of the
Central Pegu Yoma in that direction. The main line of the Burma Railways enters it
between Kyauktaga and Penwegon [18° 12′: 96° 36′] and leaves it near Swa [19° 16′:
96° 18′] in the north, a total distance of 80 miles. It includes the main trunk road between
Rangoon and Mandalay for much the same length, the road from Toungoo [18° 54′: 96°
24′], to the hill station of Thandaung [19° 00′: 96° 42′] and besides Toungoo itself most
of the important towns in the same district. In the area the shock was of a very strong
character and severe cracking resulted in many cases. Fissuring of alluvial ground and the
issue of sand and water from crater-lets is also still a prominent feature. The small town
of Kywebwe [18° 46′: 96° 24′], 15 miles north of Pyu, suffered severely yet the
proportion of houses which escaped with minor damage is sufficient indication of the
lesser intensity of the shock. Every wall of the brick-built bazaar fell, a result which
causes no surprise when the type of the structure is considered. The intensity of the
earthquake in Zeyawaddi [19° 33′: 96° 26′] probably did not exceed degree VIII,
although it is only 4 miles north of Pyu and although Nyaungchidauk, 4 miles further
north still, has to be included within the next higher isoseismal. Minor cracking of a large
semi-pucca house, tilting of wooden paddy store-sheds, disturbances of stacks of bricks,
fissuring of the railway station platform and the formation of sand vents in alluvium
comprise the results at Zeyawaddi. In Banbwegon [18° 44′: 96° 24′] and Oktwin [18°
48′: 96° 24′], fissures were made in alluvial ground, plaster fell from the walls of houses
while cupboards and lamps were knocked over.

The veranda of a house in Toungoo bazaar collapsed and fell into the street, while
cracking of the walls of brick buildings was fairly common. Most of the local pagodas
were damaged. Cracking of the banks of the Sittang and its tributaries and the formation
of sand crater-lets were widespread. The hill station of Thandaung lies on gneissic rocks
at an elevation of 4308 feet, 29 miles ENE of Toungoo. The Circuit house and Inspection
bungalow, single storied buildings of granite blocks in mortar, were severely damaged
and rendered uninhabitable. The masonry pillars of the Police station were cracked and
the walls of the Watch tower shattered. The walls of the tea factory were cracked in
places and a chimney had to be dismantled. Bricks fell from walls and furniture was
knocked over in the post office. Little or no damage appears to have been caused to
timber houses. At Shwenyaungbin, 22 miles on the Thandaung road from Toungoo, a
stone building showed cracked walls and collapse of an arch over a door. At Yedashe
[19° 06′: 96° 24′], 18 miles north of Toungoo, the walls of brick houses, either partly
broken down or extensively cracked. The bed of a canal was raised and the flow of
water stopped. From the southern Leiktho hills in the same neighbourhood, came the
reports of cracked ridges and collapsed granaries. North of Yedashe alluvial ground was
fissured and the erupted water flooded the local fields for several days. At Pyonchaung a
brick pillar collapsed and the pagoda was damaged. Further north near Swa [19° 16′: 96°
18′], two railway bridges were damaged and the volume of water flowing into the local
streams was noticeably increased. Fissuring of the banks of streams, the formation of
sand vents in alluvial ground and damage to the upper portions of pagodas were prevalent
throughout the region.

Kanyutkwin [18° 18′: 96° 30′] , 11 miles SSE of Pyu, presented a curious contrast in that
while various brick and plaster houses remained unhurt another of the same type was
ruined. Certain walls of the brick built bazaar collapsed, the remainder, as well as portion
of the Police station were shattered. In the case of Penwegon [18° 12′: 96° 36′], a town in
the Pegu district, 20 miles SSE of Pyu, heavy ornaments and roof balconies fell from the
Mosque, while various houses and other buildings, including the bazaar, were cracked.
The greater part of a high pagoda near the town was thrown down. Cracks in the alluvium
and sand fissures occurred both in Penwegon itself and at many places in the
neighbourhood. Roads and a railway embankment were reported to have sunk near the
town. At one locality in the Yoma forests, 35 miles west of Penwegon, bamboo huts,
specially supported and strengthened by props after the second shock, tilted and collapsed
during the third. At Phado, a village 12 miles NW of Nyaunglebin [18° 00′: 96° 42′] a
brick cottage was badly damaged; a few wooden houses fell over towards the north and
large cracks with erupting mud opened in the ground.

ISOSEIST VII:

This isoseist marks the limit within which damage of a minor character to brick structures
occurred. Throughout it the third shock of the series was still sufficiently strong to cause
general alarm, overthrow moveable objects from walls, shelves and stables and crack the
tops of pagodas. It includes the major portion of the Pegu district, the northern half of
Tharrawaddy, and parts of Prome, Toungoo, Yamethin, the Southern Shan States,
Karenni, Papun and Thaton. Including the trans-frontier (Siam) extension the total area
under the isoseist was not less than 28,800 sq miles.

The towns along the main railway line in the Pegu district from a few miles north of Pegu
[17° 18′: 96° 30′] to Kyauktaga [18° 12′: 96° 36′], lie within this area. Almost all the
brick buildings in Kyauktaga were cracked. The hospital, already damaged by the Pegu
earthquake of May 5th, was rendered unsafe. At Nyaunglebin cracking was caused in
masonry walls over lintels and arches while plaster fell from others. At Pyuntaza [17°
48′: 96° 42′] telephone wires were wrenched from walls, brick buildings were cracked
and many small objects overturned. Discharges of sand from fissures in the alluvium
ruined small areas of ripe paddy in Daik-u. Further east at Myitkyo [17° 36′: 96° 49′], the
wooden post office was slightly moved out of position. At Kyaikto [17° 18′: 97° 00′], in
the Thaton district, slight cracking was caused to some walls, old cracks re-opened and
brick-nogged panels were loosened. In southeastern Toungoo, at Shwegyin [17° 54′: 96°
54′] the walls of the bazaar, of a zayat and of various houses, including one built of
laterite blocks in cement, were cracked. One pagoda fell and another damaged. Images
were thrown down and much plaster and many small objects fell. Portions of the high
banks of the Sittang river at Dalazeik caved in. From Kyaukkyi came reports of earth
fissures with the usual accompaniment of exuded sand and water. The record room at
Papum, the headquarters of the Salween district, was damaged.

Turning to the western portion of the area, an old brick building partially collapsed at
Minhla [17° 54′: 95° 42′] in the Tharrawaddy district, the portico of a house was shifted
at Waing in the Minhla Township; old cracks were enlarged in the Roman Catholic
School at Thonze. Further to the northwest, at Paungde [18° 30′: 95° 30′] in the Prome
district, many articles were overturned in the houses while the walls of the brick-built
bazaar were cracked. At Padigon in the same district, cracks appeared in the walls of a
masonry house and a pagoda was damaged. From Paukkaung [18° 54′: 95° 34′] in the
same district, came the report of the cracking of concrete floor of the Township Officer’s
house.

Isoseismal VII is extended across the Irrawaddy into the Henzada district to include the
town of Kyangin [18° 20′: 95° 15′] where all the walls of the dispensary building were
ceacked and the front wall of the Surgeon’s office pushed out of the perpendicular. In the
northern part of the area the banks of a wide stream, 18 miles west of Swa, in the
Toungoo district, were fissured. A pagoda collapsed at Thagaya and the upper portion of
another at Maidat was crushed. In the Yamethin district, the walls of the court House at
Lewe [19° 36′: 96° 06′] were damaged and slight cracking caused to houses in
Pyinmana. The extreme northern limit of this isoseist includes the hill station of Kalaw
[20° 38′: 96° 30′] in the Southern Shan States where the brick walls of the Police Station
and of various houses were cracked.
ISOSEIST VI:

Outside the seventh isoseismal line and following it through the country lies a zone
within which the third and greatest shock, though it caused practically no damage to
buildings, was still fairly severe, resulting in the general awakening of sleeping persons,
of a certain amount of panic in cities where the memory of the terrible results of the Pegu
earthquake is still fresh, in the stopping of clocks, the tinkling of pagoda bells, the
rustling of trees and the disturbance of birds and animals. It is not an easy matter to
decide on the outer limit of this zone, the line where the third earthquake lost the last
traces of severity and beyond which it can only be regarding as a moderate shock fading
away into feebleness and passing unnoticed by the majority of people as the distance
from its epicenter increased.

In the south the delineation of the area commences in the Thaton district, for there is not
sufficient evidence available from Siam to carry it across the frontier, curves across the
Sittang estuary and striking NW forms a belt of country some 20-25 miles wide and
traversing southern Pegu, northern Insein, and southern Tharrawaddy, where it crosses
Irrawaddy into Henzada. The forests of the Arakan Yoma prevent its delineation in the
west, but it is possible to draw the line again from Allanmyo, in Thayetmyo, whence it
crosses the Pegu Yomas striking NE, more or less parallel to the next inner line, into the
Yamethin district. In the NE, an intensity of the same degree is indicated by our reports
from the smaller Shan States which lie to the south and east of Taunggyi. Completing the
curve with an arbitrary line the area enclosed by this isoseist approximates 46,800 square
miles.

OTHER EARTHQUAKES IN BURMA DURING 1930- 1931- January 1932

The Shwebo Earthquake of December 4, 1930

Some time between 12.30 and 01.00 PM on December 4th an earthquake took place in
Upper Burma which had no apparent connection with the series of aftershocks belonging
to the Pyu earthquakes themselves. In Shwebo it was strong enough to cause house
timbers to creak and hanging lamps to swing. At Katha it was felt in three distinct phases,
moving from east to west and lasting 65 seconds; violent at first but gradually
diminishing with very short pauses between the vibrations. Here it was strong enough to
rock the brick Court House though nothing was upset or overturned. Other places from
where this earthquake was reported include: Tantabin, Kanbalu and Ngazane in Shwebo
district; Tada-U and Myinmu in Sagaing district; Kyaukse; Maymyo in Mandalay
district; Panghai in North Hsenwi, Mong Tung, Hsipaw in Northern Shan States; and
Kehsi Mansam in Southern Shan States.
 8. SHWEBO 04.12.1930

7. KYAUKSE 21° 36′: 96° 12′ 19.08.1931

6. PYINMANA 19° 42′: 96° 12′ 10.08.1931

5. SWA 19° 16′: 96° 18′ 08.08.1929

4. PYU 18° 24′: 96° 24′ 04.12.1930

3. PADO 18° 03′: 96° 34′ 16.09.1930

2. DAIKU 17° 48′: 96° 42′ 04.05.1931

1. PEGU 17° 18′: 96° 30′ 05.05.1930

On August 10, 1931 at about 04.50 PM, a violent earthquake shook Pyinmana, a town
in the Yamethin district, 91 miles north of Pyu. The shock was certainly the most severe
that has been experienced in this town. At least 6 brick buildings sustained damage in
varying degree. It was felt as far north as Mandalay and was reported from Thanatpin
[17° 18′: 96° 36′] Township of Pegu in the south. The distance, north and south, over which it
was sensible to human beings, was at least 350 miles. It indicates a disturbance in the northern
part of the same seismic zone to which the Swa, Pegu and Pyu earthquakes belong, and which, as
far as the present generation is concerned, had hitherto been remarkably free from such
occurrences.

Another migration further north is indicated by the smart Kyaukse [34 miles north of Pyinmana
and 26 miles south of Mandalay] earthquake of August 19, 1931, which was strong enough to
cause minor cracking to buildings in Mandalay and to knock light articles over in Kalaw.

A rather severe earthquake was felt at Amherst [16° 00′: 97° 36′] at about 08.55 AM on
August 6, 1931. Its duration was about 2 to 3 seconds; objects such as tumblers and bottles fell
and the pendulums of clocks were stopped. There have been no less than 8 earthquake shocks felt
between 08.47 AM on August 6th and 12.55 AM on August 9th, 5 of them being of a severe
nature. The first one on the 6th was the most severe; tumblers, bottles and pictures in many houses
being thrown down. A large mango tree was uprooted in the village, and the top of the pagoda
near the Post office was wrenched off and fell on the road.
At 11.00 AM, January 5th, 1932, an earthquake of short duration was felt at all places
between Pyuntaza [17° 48′: 96° 42′] and Toungoo [18° 54′: 96° 24′], and, that at 11.17 PM on
January 13th, 1932, Toungoo and all places between Nangyun, 14 miles north of that town and
Pyu, 32 miles south, were visited by another shock. At Toungoo itself this one was severe enough
to arouse even heavy sleepers. At 11.22PM a gentle tremor followed. People working in forest
areas of Pegu Yoma, about 20 miles west of Kanyutkwin [18° 18′: 96° 30′], reported two more
slight intensity shocks in the night of 22nd and 27th January.

GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

The epicentral tract enclosed by Isoseist IX of the main Pyu earthquake is made up of
Tertiary rocks of Oligo- Miocene age (Pegu series) which in the vicinity of Kindangyi
consist of faulted, folded and slikensided sandstone and shale. The two earlier shocks
undoubtedly originated in the same area. It is narrow elliptical area and its long axis
coincides more or less with a definite wall-like ridge or escarpment, which runs in a
remarkably straight N9W for some miles north and south of Pyu. The town lies on the
alluvium of the Sittang plain at an elevation of 150 feet above sea level, 5.5 miles in a
straight line to the east from the edge of the ridge, which attains heights culminating in
khengdan, 1754 feet above the sea. The top of the escarpment is fairly regular, and 20
miles to the north it is still 1505 feet high. It is to be noted that waterfalls have formed
where it is crossed by easterly flowing tributaries of the Sittang or their branches. The
more important of these are the Pyu and Kun chaungs, affluents of which have falls of 43
and 140 feet respectively, near the top of the ridge. Falls of 100 feet are common in other
small streams. Such features are very unusual in areas occupied by Pegu rocks and the
opinion is hazarded that the ridge probably marks a pronounced fault scarp.

East of Pyu the alluvial plain of the Sittang stretches for another 20 miles where it is
bordered by the outlying spurs of the Karen hills. These in the next few miles attain
heights of over 6000 feet above sea level along the line of crests which separates the
Toungoo district from Papun and from the independent state of Kyebogyi in Karenni.
Beyond the fact that the outer hills are made up of crystalline rocks- mainly of a
gneissose character and often with coarse granite intrusions, and that further towards the
east, representatives of the older Palaeozoic systems of the Shan States and of their
underlying Precambrian floor occur, nothing is known of this region which still remains
to be geologically surveyed.

Somewhere under the alluvium lies the faulted junction of the Tertiaries with the
crystalline rocks, a fault or fault zone which is believed to continue as far as its land
course is concerned, from the mouth of the Sittang to the northern part of the Shwebo
district, a distance of over 400 miles, beyond which it has still to be traced. To the south
the junction is entirely hidden under alluvial deposits of the Samon and Sittang valleys.

The great escarpment of the Shan plateau, including the Karen hills, forms the most
striking structural feature of the Burmo-Malayan region. Its faulted boundary forms a
complete break where the Tertiary rocks of Burma finish abruptly on the east and give
place to an entirely different series strata, which stretches across the Shan States and far
into the Chinese Provinces beyond. Further work will probably prove that the outer fault
is not mere boundary fault in the ordinary sense of the word, but that it marks a limit
beyond which the deposition of the Burmese Tertiary rocks did not extend.

It is known that Amarapura, the capital of the Burmese kingdom before it was deserted
for Mandalay, was wrecked by an earthquake, while Burmese history relates how a
similar fate befell Pegu before it was taken from the Talaings. Far at least 50 years
however, and probably for a much longer period, Central and Lower Burma have enjoyed
freedom from disastrous earthquakes originating in this zone, though they may have from
time to time felt the effects of more distant earthquakes both in the Shan States, the
Frontier Region and Assam. This period of tranquility ended on the 8th August 1929, in
the very severe but local shock of Swa. Early in 1930, the senior writer (C.B) of his
report warned the Government of Burma that in his opinion, a period of violent seismic
disturbances was to be expected and requested that full accounts of all local shocks
should be recorded by responsible officials and sent to Geological Survey of India
Office in Rangoon for investigation.

On May 5th, 1930, the Pegu earthquake occurred with appalling suddenness. This ruined
a considerable portion of the town with loss of over 500 lives. The main center of activity
then moved into the neighbourhood of Pado [18° 02′: 96° 36′] 48 miles north of Pegu.
Between July and December 1930, 13 slight intensity shocks were recorded and on September 10
a smarter shock rocked Pado that was felt over an area extending at least 60 miles to the
southeast. On December 3rd and 4th, 1930, occurred the Pyu earthquakes. Since that time many
earthquakes have taken place, the old instable regions which for the sake of brevity are termed
Swa, Pegu, Pado and Pyu have from time to time revived, but in addition to these new ones have
come into activity near Kyaukse, Pyinmana, Daiku and Amherst. The alignment of the epicenters
from north to south along the edge of the Eastern Highlands is obvious. All these individual
earthquakes form part of a series of connected events.