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Nepal Earthquake News: According to Nepal government’s post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) report, the Himalayan state is the 11th most earthquake-prone country in the world.
Earthquake News: 2015 Nepal disaster claimed nearly 9,000 lives and injured tens of thousands. (PTI File photo)
An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude, which was felt in central Nepal early morning on Tuesday, brought back memories of the deadly quake and multiple aftershocks that hit the Himalayan state on April 25, 2015. The disaster claimed nearly 9,000 lives, injured tens of thousands, and left entire villages and communities in ruins. The destruction was so extensive that it displaced millions and necessitated a massive international aid response.
A seismologist was quoted by news agency PTI as saying that Nepal, situated on the precarious Himalayan seismic zone, is a highly earthquake-prone country and its quake-battered western mountainous region is likely to face a threat of a bigger earthquake.
According to Nepal government’s post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) report, the Himalayan state is the 11th most earthquake-prone country in the world.
Seismologists say that the western region of Nepal is more prone to quakes. Official data showed that in 2023, over 70 quakes were felt in the country.
One of the deadliest earthquakes of 2023 was felt in the month of November when at least 140 people were killed. The earthquake originated in Jajarkot district, which falls in Nepal’s western mountainous region.
“There has been a collision between Indian and Eurasian plates going on underground for a long time which has accumulated tremendous energy,” Bharat Koirala, senior seismologist at the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, Nepal, was quoted by PTI.
Nepal is located at the boundary of these two plates and therefore lies in a highly active seismic region. the news agency stated. Therefore, earthquakes are common in Nepal.
“Western Nepal is under the threat of bigger earthquakes,” Koirala said and added, “There has not been a big earthquake in Western Nepal for the last 520 years. So a lot of energy has been accumulated and earthquakes are the only medium to release that energy.”
“From Gorkha (district) in western Nepal to Dehradun of India, lots of energy has been accumulated due to the tectonic movement. Therefore, small or big earthquakes are taking place in these areas to release the energy, which is normal,” Koirala said.
How Were Nepal Mountains Created? Origins Explain Why Its Prone To Quakes
The youngest mountain ranges in the world, the Himalayas have risen up as a result of the collision of the Eurasian plate, with Tibet at its southern edge, and the Indian continental plate and over the centuries have continued to evolve tectonically, which the seismologists said, advance two metres closer every century resulting in sudden release of elastic energy stored in the active geological faults inside the earth causing movement in the crust.
Data from the Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre shows that since January 1, 2023, till the end of that year, there were a total of 70 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 and above in Nepal.
Of these, as many as 13 were between magnitude 5 and 6 while three were above magnitude 6.0. Every day two or more magnitude earthquakes have been happening for centuries to release the energy accumulated through the tectonic plate movement, Koirala said.
- Location :
Kathmandu, Nepal