Chiang Rai News
Mild 3.2 Earthquake Hits Chiang Rai Mae Fa Luang District
CHIANG RAI – A small earthquake with a magnitude of 3.2 on the Richter scale was recorded in Mae Fa Luang district of Chiang Rai province at 11.07am on Saturday, the National Disaster Warning Centre reported.
The Mae Chan fault line goes through the provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. The fault is seen as the most potentially damaging one in the country in the event of an earthquake, and it may have been affected by major quakes in China’s Yunnan province back in 2009 as well as last year’s incident in Laos and Myanmar’s Nam Ma fault.
Today the Mae Chan fault remains quiet as stress continues to build up. Historical records show that the fault unleashed its power over 1,000 years ago, leading to the fall of the great city of Yonok.
According to the well-known myth, Chiang Saen was a hidden ancient city named Yonok Nak Phan, existed over 1,000 years ago in the north of Chiang Rai. With the help from the Nagas (giant serpents), Chiang Rai’s King Singhanawat had founded the city, which later brought back lucks to the city.
Yonok Nak Phan had to suffer from the destiny, making the city collapsed, flooded and was washed away from the earth. On the other hand, the scientific studies explained that the cause of the devastation was an earthquake that transformed the city to Chiang Saen Lake.
