The earthquake was initially calculated at 8.0 on the surface-wave magnitude scale (Ms ) by Beno Gutenberg and Charles Francis Richter, and described by them as being one of the most remarkable seismic events in the early 1900s.

Shaking was felt throughout most of Burma, parts of Siam and Yunnan; an area covering approximately 375,000 square miles.

[7] Destructive earthquakes have rocked this nation for centuries, but very little academic research has been invested to understand their seismological characteristics.

A large Mw  8.5–8.8 earthquake in 1762 ruptured a section of the Sunda Megathrust off the Rakhine coast.

[7] Beno Gutenberg and Charles Francis Richter estimated this earthquake at 8.0 on the surface-wave magnitude scale in the second edition of their book Seismicity of the Earth and Associated Phenomena published in 1954.

[7][2][9] Other estimates including one in Richter's 1958 book Elementary Seismology and the journal Secular seismic energy release in the circum-Pacific belt by Seweryn J. Duda presented 7.9 Ms .

Field studies and isoseismal data however inferred that the rupture length was only 140 to 160 km, which corresponds to a 7.6–7.7 Ms  earthquake.

[1] The earthquake is situated along the Kyaukkyan fault, a 500 km long right-lateral structure running through the Shan plateau.

Many left and right-lateral faults are situated in the Shan plateau as a result of the rotating Sunda block.

[6] Class A brick masonry buildings suffered serious structural damage corresponding to Grade 4 on the European macroseismic scale (EMS).

[2] In northern and southern Burma, Yunnan, and parts of Siam, the shock had become a gentle rocking sensation and was felt by most of the population.

However, the motion was still strong enough that lamps were seen swinging, oil and water in Seikkyi Kanaungto township was seen to sway about.