NEPAL

EARTHQUAKE
Aditya Kumar Anand
Project Assistant Level 2
CSIR-Central Road Research Institute

Earthquakes
Anearthquakeistheshaking and vibration onthesurfaceoftheearthresultingfrom
underground movementalongplatemargins.
Whenplates move past, towards or awayfromeachotherthemovementisnotsmooth.
Frictioncausestheplatestogetstuck.
Thiscausespressure to build up.Earthquakesoccurwhenthisbuild up of pressure is
released.
Thepointwheretheearthquake starts is called the focus.
Thispressure travels up to the Earth's crust and escapes at the epicentreofthe
earthquake.
Inanearthquake,energyisreleasedintheformofwaves.Thesearecalledseismic
waves.Thewavesspreadoutfromthefocus

The diagram above illustrates how the movement of two plates

at the plate boundary creates pressure deep inside the Earth.

Thestrongestwavesarefoundnearthecentre of the earthquake.Thismeansthat

themostsevere damage causedbyanearthquakewillhappenclose to the
epicentre.

Measurements of Earthquakes
Thepowerofanearthquakeis
measuredusingaseismometer.
Aseismometer is a sensitive
machine,whichpicksupthe
vibrations caused by the earthquake.
Itplotsthesevibrations on
a seismograph.
Thestrengthormagnitudeofan
earthquakeismeasuredusingascale
calledtheRichter Scale.
TheRichterScaleisnumbered0-10.

Social Impacts
Short term impacts

People may be killed or

injured.

Economic Impacts

Environmental Impacts

Shops and business are

destroyed.

The built landscape is

destroyed.
Fires spread due to gas pipe
explosions. Fires can
damage areas of woodland.

Homes may be destroyed.

Looting may take place.

Essential services may be

disrupted for
exampletransport and
communication links

Transport and
communication systems are Landslides may occur.
disrupted.

Water pipes may burst and

water supplies may be
contaminated

Trade not be carried out

easily due to the poor
transport and
communication systems
therefore a loss of money.

Disease may spread.

The cost of rebuilding a

settlement is high.

Important natural and

human landmarks may be
lost.

People may have to be rehoused, sometimes in

refugee camps.

Investment in the area is

focused only on repairing
the damage caused by the
earthquake. Income is lost.

Old buildings in some cases

will not be able to be
restored however new
developments.

Long Term Impacts

Tsunamis may cause

flooding in coastal areas.

Nepal Earthquake
Date

25April2015

Origin time

11:56:26NST

Magnitude

7.9Mw

Depth

15.0 kilometres (9mi)

Epicentre

28.147N 84.708E

Type

Thrust

Areas
affected

Nepal
India
China
Bangladesh
Bhutan

Max.
intensity

IX (Violent)

Casualties

above 10000 dead and

Geological factors for Nepal Earthquake

Nepal lies towards the southern limit of the diffusecollisional boundary
where theIndian Plateunder thruststheEurasian Plate. occupying the
central sector of the Himalayan arc nearly one-third of the 2,400km
(1,500mi) long Himalayas.
The convergence rate between the plates in central Nepal is about 45mm
(1.8in) per year.
The location, magnitude, andfocal mechanismof the earthquake suggest
that it was caused by a slip along theMain Frontal Thrust.
Based on a study published in 2014 of the Main Frontal Thrust on average a
great earthquake occurs every 750140 and 870350years in the east
Nepal region.
A study from 2015 found a 700-year delay between earthquakes in the region.
The study also suggests that because of tectonic stress build up the
earthquake from 1934 in Nepal and the 2015 quake are connected following a
historic earthquake pattern (Not verified)

Nepal is disaster prone country due to Various factors

Rugged&fragilegeomorphiccondition
Variableclimateconditions
Increasingpopulation
Pooreconomicconditions
Unplannedsettlements

Seismic Zone Map Of

India