It was assigned a maximum of XI (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale, and was felt in Rangoon and Bhamo.

The Sagaing Fault is Burma's largest and most active source of seismic threat, running through or close to major cities like Yangon, Nay Pyi Daw and Mandalay.

Ten years later, in 1956, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck close to the city of Mandalay, re-rupturing the 1839 rupture zone for about 60 km (37 mi).

[4] Meanwhile, the 260 km (160 mi) long Meiktila segment has not experienced any major earthquake since 1839 and is considered a seismic gap.

[6][7] Remote sensing and field observation revealed a maximum displacement of 5–7 m (16–23 ft) along the trace of the 1839 rupture just outside Mandalay.

[8][9] Researchers at National Taiwan University combined lidar and macroseismic data from historic accounts to estimate its magnitude at ~Mw  7.9 and rupture length to be 285–325 km (177–202 mi).

[11] Great damage was reported in Inwa, so severe that the formal capital was moved to nearby Amarapura.