Transcript Shan Thai block

STATUS OF GEOSCIENCES IN MYANMAR
Win Swe
President
Myanmar Geosciences Society (MGS)
12 th. GEOSEA Conference
Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok,
Bangkok, Thailaand
7-8 March 2012
VIETNAM
I. INTRODUCTION
 Myanmar is generally regarded as a country endowed with rich
natural resources: minerals, forests, fertile agricultural lands with
sufficient seasonal rainfall, and opulent marine resources.
 Located between the east Himalayan syntaxis and the Andaman Sea to
the south, washed by the Bay of Bengal on the west , Myanmar links
Alpine- Himalayan orogenic belt to the west with its extension in the
rest of Southeast Asia.
 Myanmar is natural hazard or disaster prone, being located in the
tectonically active Alpide Seismic Belt. Because of rapid growth in
population, industries and urban areas, like elsewhere in the
developing world, man-made hazards or disasters are also on the rise .
 Hence Geosciences should play a crucial role for the welfare of the
Myanmar people in economic development and disaster mitigation.
II. DEVELOPMENT OF GEOSCIENCES IN MYANMAR
 Myanmar’s mineral resources, like gemstones, oil, lead-zinc-silver, tin-
tungsten, and gold were already discovered and were being exploited
by local people even before the Earth Sciences or Geology had made
its rapid progress in late 18th and early 19th centuries.
 However, the earliest systematic Geological study and proper mine
development of the deposits in Myanmar were made only during the
British colonial period: 1824-1948
 During that colonial period, most of the geological survey was
conducted by the geologists of the GSI, founded in 1852, by those of
private Oil Companies, and also by a few geologists of the RU, until
the outbreak of the 2nd. World War.
 Development of Geosciences must also include the Education Sector.
II-A. EDUCATIONAL SECTOR
 Rangoon (Yangon) University was founded in 1920 together with the
Department of Geology and Geography.
 Only in 1923, Geology was offered when Dr L. D. Stamp was appointed
as professor of the Department.
Department in 1924.
Dr
H. L. Chhibber joined the
 Unfortunately, Myanmar students were not interested in geology in
those days; hence there were no Myanmar People in the profession,
either at the university or in other organizations like GSI, BGD or BOC
before World War II.
 An independent Department of geology was established in 1948
after the Independence from the British, with Dr. Tha Hla as
Professor and Founder of the profession in Myanmar.
II-A. EDUCATIONAL SECTOR (Continued)
 Later, several Myanmar geology graduates, students of Prof. Tha
Hla, were sent abroad for further studies for the University and for
other organizations.
 At present 29 Universities are offering B.Sc degrees: Yangon and
Mandalay Universities confer Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in
various branches of geoscience subjects, and 3 Colleges are teaching
geology as a minor subject. RU is also offering post-graduate
diplomas in specialized subjects. Emphasis should be laid on
practical field training as most of the geoscience subjects require a
strong background in the field work, before we have suitable facilities
to conduct experiments and theoretical studies.
III. OUTLINE OF THE GEOLOGY OF MYANMAR
Eurasia Plate
MBT
Myanmar at the junction of
four tectonic plates
India
Plate
Sunda Plate




1. Sunda Plate
2. Burma Plate
3. India Plate
4. Eurasian Plate
Sunda Meathrust
Major Structures in the region
Indian
Ocean
Andaman Spreading
1.
2.
3.
4.
MBT= Main boundary Thrust
Sunda Megathrust
Sagaing Fault
Andaman Spreading
(Modified from the GIAC Project, 2000)
Eurasian Plate
India
Plate
MYANMAR AT THE JUNCTION
OF FOUR TECTONIC PLATES
2
Burma
1
ShanPlate
Thai
block
Sunda Plate
Bay of
Bengal
 Located on two sutured north-south
elongated micro-continental fragments:
1. Shan Thai block and 2.West
Myanmar block with an attached
accretionary terrane on the west.
 Comprises a late Mesozoic-Cenozoic
Magmatic Arc along its north-south
medial axis and a high-grade
metamorphic belt along the old suture
zone.
 Bounded by India/Asia convergent zone
to the west, an active sea-floor
spreading center to the south and a
collision Belt on the north.
 Sagaing Fault dislocated roughly along
the old suture zone between the two
continental fragments.
SAGAING FAULT
 Divided Myanmar into two
parts connecting Andaman
Spreading Center with east
Himalayan Syntaxis
 Is an active dextral strike-slip
continental transform fault
comparable to San Andreas
fault of California
Burma Plate
West Block
Shan-Thai East
BlockBlock
 Offects the West Myanmar
Block dextrally northward
forming a Sliver Plate known
as the Burma (Myanmar)
Plate
 Initiated ~ in Miocene
 Current motion ~ 20 mm/yr
 Estimated dextral offset ~333
km
SAGAING FAULT EXTENDING NORTH-SOUTH CLOSE TO
THE WEST OF MANDALAY, THROUGH CENTRAL MYANMAR
Myanmar Plate
Minwun
Ridge
Shan-Thai Block
Sagaing Hills
COLLISION
Sagaing Fault
SE Asia
Plate
(composed of West
Myanmar block
attached with an
Accretionay terrane)
India Plate
Myanmar plate
Andaman Spreading
Center
Sumatran Fault
Indian Ocean
Modified from Robin
Lacassin, IPG Paris, by
Wang Yu, 2008
3
2
1
MAJOR TECTONIC FEATURES
OF BAY OF BENGAL REGION
1. Shan-Thai Block
2. West Myanmar Block with
3. Accretionary wedge
(After Maurin and Rangin, 2009)
EHS
Himalayan
Arc
FOUR MAJOR PHYSIOTECTONIC BELTS OF MYANMAR
P
H
1. Eastern Highlands Province(EHP),
2. Central Myanmar Belt (CMB), composed
of several Basins and a magamatic arc
3. Western Ranges (WR), and
4. Rakhine Coastal Belt (RCB).
C
M’
3
1
2
4
M
SF
West Myanmar
BlockM P’
Shan-Thai
Block
B
S
Bay of
Bengal
D
Sunda or
Southeast
Asian
Plate






PM

Gulf
of
Mottama

Andaman
Islands
Andaman Sea




Myeik’ Achipelago
Indian
Ocean

Onland Sedimentary Basins of Central Belt
B = Bago Yoma
C = Chindwin Basin
D = Ayeyawady Delta Basin
H = Hukaung Basin
M = Minbu Basin
M’= Mu River Basin
P = Putao Basin
P =. Pyay Basin
PM = Pa-an-Mawlamyine Basin
S = SiItaung Basin
SF = Sagaing Fault
TMB = Tagaung-Myitkyina Belt
EHS = East Himalayan Syntaxis
Quaternary Volcano
PART OF WEST MYANMAR BLOCK OR THE BURMA PLATE
CMB
IBR
RCB
COLLISION IN THE HIMALAYAN ARC
(After Tapponnier et al., 2008)
MAJOR TECTONIC FEATURES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
(After Tapponnier et al., 1986)
HIMALAYA
MBT
Dauki fault
Sagaing fault
(Sliver Fault)
Chittagong–Tripura
Fold Belt
Burma Plate
(Sliver Plate)
India
Plate
Southeast
Asia Plate
Andaman spreading
center
Sunda megathrust
(Highly oblique subduction)
2004 Dec 26 Giant
Earthquake
MAJOR TECTONIC
FEATURES OF
MYANMAR REGION
Modified from Robin
Lacassin, IPG Paris,
and Wang Yu, 2007
Indian Ocean
IV. CURRENT STATUS OF GEOSCIENCES IN MYANMAR
 Geoscience Knowledge is widely used in Myanmar today:
 In exploration of various mineral commodities, including
hydrocarbons, groundwater, industrial raw minerals etc.—Mining
Sector
 In identifying potential impact of natural and man-made hazards or
disasters, like earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, land subsidence and
environmental degradations etc.-- Disaster Risk Identification
 And also in the mitigation of the disaster impact, including
geotechnical works; regional and local planning and management
sectors– Disaster Risk Reduction
V. EMPLOYERS OF GEOSCIENTISTS IN MYANMAR
 Ministry of Mines,
 Ministry of Education,
 Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation,
 Ministry of Electrical Power I ,
 Ministry of Industry I,
 Ministry of Construction, and
 Private Companies
Geological Map of Myanmar
At million Scale, 1977,
now under revision
VI. MINING SECTOR (Private or JV with Government)
Involved mainly in
 Gem and Jade: Gem mining in Mogok, Pyinlon, Mongshu and other
areas, & Jade mining in Phakant Area, Kachin State
 Energy Resources: (Oil, Natural Gas) onland and offshore
 Lead –Zinc and Silver: Bawdwin and other places in Shan State
 Copper: Monywa area, Central Myanmar
 Tin and Tungsten: in Kayah State and Tanintharyi Region
 Gold: Wuntho-Pinlebu area, Slate Belt and Mogok belt along the
western edge of the Eastern Highlands, Placer mining along the Upper
Ayeyarwady & Chindwin Valleys and also in Kachin State
 Nickel: at Tagaung Taung, north of Mandalay
 Antimony: on small scale in Shan, Kayah, Kayin and Mon States
 Iron Ore: near Taunggyi, Shan State, Pyin-oo-Lwin , Mandalay Region,
and Kathaing Taung in Kachin State
 Industrial Raw Minerals and Construction Materials : very widely
Locations of Mining
Activities in
Myanmar
VII. PRESENT STATUS
 We now know that Myanmar geology is crucial for the understanding
of the linkage between the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt to the
west and its continuation to the rest of Southeast Asia through the
East Himalayan Syntaxis around which the belt bends clockwise in
the northern Myanmar region.
 It is also well known that Myanmar, located within the active Alpide
Seismic Belt, like the northern India and the neighboring province of
China to the north, and the Andaman–Nicobar and Sumatra Islands to
the south, is earthquake-prone. It is clearly indicated by earthquakes
in the historic time.
 More knowledge about potential identification, prediction,
prevention and mitigation of disasters caused by earthquakes are
needed.
VII. PRESENT STATUS (Continued)
 It is necessary to promote the public awareness of the problem
including practical preparedness of counter-measures for
prevention and mitigation required before it is too late, and also to
make the authorities aware of the wide applicability of the
geosciences in various sectors, including identification of
potential natural hazards, and also environmental degradations due
to human activities, and their mitigation.
 These problems should have been considered since the planning
stage of every major construction project, particularly dams,
bridges, airfields, new urban centers, police headquarters,
communication centers etc.
VIII. CONCLUSIONS
 Myanmar is needed to utilize a broad spectrum of applications of
geosciences in various sectors for the welfare of the people.
 There still remains a good potential for the Geoscience Profession in
Myanmar as the country has to rely on its domestic resources.
 Environmental degradations are a serious concern for everybody in the
world and they are on the rise due to rapid growth of population and urban
areas, and particularly by the spread of poorly planned industrial areas and
urban areas.
 They are generally caused by excessive emission of carbon dioxide,
deforestation and related soil erosion, and also by waste materials
containing deleterious chemicals from industries, mining, modern
agriculture, poorly planned urban centers and rapid population
growth. Proper utilizaton of Geosciences is required for the
mitigation of these hazards .