Earth Observatory of Singapore

Spotlight: Nepal

Geometry and Kinematics of the Main Frontal Thrust, Himalaya

This project aims to study the MFT and its associated fault splays by acquiring a densely-spaced set of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles across the fault tip in order to assess the geometry and kinematics of the fault.

Post-Disaster Damage Assessments: Room for Improvement?

On 25 April 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, destroying buildings and infrastructure across 31 of Nepal’s 70 districts. Approximately 9,000 people lost their lives to the earthquake that day, 22,000 suffered from injuries, and eight million were affected. I arrived in Kathmandu one week after the quake to support the government of Nepal in various response and recovery activities.

Testing the Potential of Wave Gliders for Ocean Exploration and Seafloor Geodesy in SE Asia

Barbot's team is developing geophysical marine robots to probe the deformation of the seafloor. The end goal is to extend geodetic measurements offshore to better understand earthquakes, tectonic processes and tsunami hazards.

Annual Report 2017 - Research

Home to more than 50 million people, Myanmar is shaped like a giant kite with a long tail that sweeps down along the Andaman Sea.

Beneath the surface, invisible dangers affect Myanmar’s growing population, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In the north, mountain ranges mark the northeast limit of the Indian tectonic plate, which has been colliding with the southern edge of the Eurasian plate for tens of millions of years. It is this interaction that has helped push...

Nepal Seismotectonics

One major issue addressed here is to know whether the recent great earthquakes on the MFT ruptured the surface or not. EOS confirmed with 14C dating that the rupture of the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake (Mw 8.2) reached the surface. It is a major breakthrough as the hitherto entrenched consensus had been that the 20th century catastrophic events along the Himalayan Frontal Thrust were blind.

Today's Quake in Myanmar is a Reminder of How Active the Sagaing Fault is

Very early in the morning on Friday, 12 January 2018, Myanmar was struck by a magnitude-6.0 earthquake. Residents in the two capital cities, Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw, were able to feel the quake that had originated 40 kilometres west of the Sagaing Fault in Central Myanmar.

In the video below, Dr Wang Yu, a Research Fellow at the Earth Observatory of Singapore,...

Annual Report 2017
This annual report marks the end of the Earth Observatory’s first decade. At the onset, we conceived of a regional research and educational institution aimed at conducting basic geohazards research, headquartered on the campus of an up-and-coming university, NTU Singapore. Did we move significantly toward these goals during our first ten years? Are we contributing to making Southeast Asian societies safer and more sustainable? Are we likely, through the remainder of the century, to play a premier role in meeting the challenges...

Folklore and Farmers: The Role of Non-Scientists in Active Fault Research in Myanmar and Thailand

“We scientists usually think we know everything,” said Dr Wang Yu, a Research Fellow at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), “but when we go into the field, we start to realise that actually farmers have most of the important knowledge about the land, and that we are just visitors with lots to learn.”

Reducing Natural Disaster Risk Across Asia

Asia and the Pacific are most at risk from natural disasters, according to a report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. More than 90 million people worldwide were affected by natural disasters in 2015. Asia is the world’s most disaster-prone continent, with 152 out of the 346 reported disasters worldwide. This isn’t surprising, given that it is both geologically active and the most populous region on Earth. In the last few decades, earthquakes,...

Kumamoto Earthquakes Reveal the Importance of Active Fault Studies in Sumatra and the Southeast Asian Region

Japan is known for its earthquakes and tsunami hazards due to the active collision involving three tectonic plates; the Philippine Sea plate, the Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate.