Myanmar

Myanmar lies along the complex boundary between the Indian Plate and the Sundaland margin of Southeast Asia. Since the Paleogene, northward movement of India toward Eurasia has driven deformation across the region, producing a series of strike-slip fault systems and sedimentary basins that record the ongoing interaction between these plates.

One of the most significant geological features of Myanmar is the Central Myanmar Basin (CMB), a large Cenozoic sedimentary basin located between the Sagaing Fault to the east and the Kabaw Fault to the west. This basin contains up to 15 km of sedimentary fill deposited since the end of the Mesozoic and represents one of the major hydrocarbon provinces of mainland Southeast Asia.

Myanmar also contains a number of major active strike-slip faults that accommodate deformation associated with oblique convergence between India and the Sunda margin. These include the Sagaing Fault system and associated structures within eastern Myanmar, which play an important role in regional tectonics and seismic hazard.

Our Previous Research in Myanmar Includes:

Sedimentary Provenance and Basin Development

Research in Myanmar has focused on understanding the provenance and depositional history of sediments within the Central Myanmar Basin. The Oligocene Shwezetaw and Padaung formations of the Salin Sub-basin are important components of the regional petroleum system and provide valuable insights into sediment sources and basin evolution.

Provenance studies combine detrital zircon U–Pb dating with petrographic analysis of light minerals to determine the origin of sediments and reconstruct sediment transport pathways. By analysing samples from multiple stratigraphic horizons, these methods help identify changes in sediment supply through time and provide constraints on the tectonic development of the basin.

Existing provenance data from western Myanmar suggest that sediments may have been derived from a mixture of sources, including the Indo–Burman Ranges and more distant continental regions. However, the lack of comprehensive geochronological data from within Myanmar itself means that sediment sources and transport pathways remain poorly understood. New zircon geochronological data therefore play an important role in improving understanding of sediment routing into the Central Myanmar Basin.

Cenozoic Basin Evolution

The Central Myanmar Basin records a long history of sedimentation that reflects changing tectonic and environmental conditions across the region. From the Paleocene to the Late Miocene, sedimentation was dominated by shallow marine environments, although fluvial influence was intermittently present.

During the Late Miocene the basin underwent a major transition to predominantly continental sedimentation. The Irrawaddy Formation represents a large fluvial system that prograded southwards across the basin, covering earlier marine deposits. The Oligocene successions studied in this research represent an intermediate stage of basin development, when sedimentation occurred in mixed marine and fluvial environments.

Understanding the provenance and depositional systems of these sediments helps clarify how sediment was transported into the basin and how the basin evolved through time.

Strike-Slip Tectonics and Seismic Hazard

Myanmar’s tectonic framework is strongly influenced by strike-slip faulting associated with the oblique convergence between the Indian Plate and Sundaland. In eastern Myanmar two main fault systems have developed: a north–south trending system including the Sagaing Fault, Shan Scarp Fault System and Kyaukkyan Fault, and an east–west trending system including the Momeik and Kyaukme faults.

Research on the Kyaukkyan Fault aims to reconstruct the Holocene palaeoseismic history of this major structure and to understand its role in accommodating regional deformation. The fault forms part of a diffuse plate boundary zone and was responsible for a major earthquake in 1912.

Field studies examine geological evidence for past earthquake activity and deformation along the fault. These observations provide important constraints on the tectonic evolution of the region and help assess seismic hazards for the growing populations living near these active structures.

Regional Significance

Research in Myanmar provides valuable insights into the tectonic evolution of mainland Southeast Asia and the interaction between the Indian Plate and the Sunda margin. By integrating studies of sediment provenance, basin development and active fault systems, these projects help reconstruct the geological history of the Central Myanmar Basin and surrounding regions.

Understanding sediment sources and basin evolution also has important implications for hydrocarbon exploration within Myanmar’s sedimentary basins, while studies of active faults contribute to improved assessments of seismic risk in this tectonically active region.