Search-and-rescue teams survey the rubble in Amatrice, Italy, following a magnitude 6.2 earthquake.
Earthquakes in Italy, Myanmar Show Power of World’s Fault Lines
The pair of major quakes struck regions known for geological volatility.
A pair of major earthquakes struck near two of the world's major fault lines early Wednesday, in regions that have long histories of devastating temblors.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake and a series of smaller subsequent quakes in central Italy killed dozens of people and collapsed many buildings overnight on Wednesday. Hours later and thousands of miles away, a separate magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in Myanmar.
Italy lies near the fault line that exists between Eurasian and African tectonic plates. This area along the Apennine Mountains is “tectonically and geologically complex” according to the USGS, which notes “the Eurasia plate moves towards the northeast with respect to Africa at a rate of approximately 24 [millimeters per year].”
Likewise, Myanmar lies to the
