THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKE
- The quake occurred at 11:56 NST on 25 April, with a magnitude of 7.8Mw or 8.1Msand a maximum Mercalli Intensity of IX (Violent).
- It's epicenter was east of the district of Lamjung, and it's hypocenter was at a depth of approximately 15 km.
- Nepal is particularly prone to earthquakes. It sits on the boundary of two massive tectonic plates – the Indo-Australian and Asian plates.
- It is the collision of these plates that has produced the Himalaya mountains, and with them, earthquakes.
- The earthquake in Nepal occurred because of two converging tectonic plates: the India plate and the overriding Eurasia plate to the north.
- As the Indian subcontinent pushes against Eurasia, pressure is released in the form of earthquakes.