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A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE in Myanmar this morning was powerful enough to be detected in Ireland, according to experts.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in central Myanmar at around 12:50pm (6:20am Irish Time), destroying a number of homes, bridges and roads.
The death toll is not yet known, but at least 20 people have been confirmed dead in Myanmar, and three people were killed after a skyscraper collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand.
Shockwaves from the earthquake were detected by a number of seismometers across Ireland, data from the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) shows.
The INSN, operated by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, published graphs from a number of seisic stations across the country this morning, and displacement was clearly visible on charts from Dublin, Wexford, Tipperary and Cork.
This displacement lasted for around 30 minutes.
According to the INSN, the earthquake is likely to have occurred as the result of “strike slip faulting” between the India and Eurasia plates.
Since 1900, only six other earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7 have occurred in the area.
The size of the are of this morning’s quake is about 200km by 20km.
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