Burma's fault

Abstract

The Sumatra–Andaman earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 came as a surprise to most of the Earth science community. While it is now widely recognized that the risk of another giant earthquake is high off central Sumatra, just east of the 2004 earthquake, there seems to be relatively little concern about the subduction zone to the north, in the northern Bay of Bengal along the coast of Myanmar (formerly Burma). Phil Cummins suggests, however, that giant earthquake activity is possible in this region, and that a large and vulnerable population may be facing a significant earthquake and tsunami hazard.