International
oi-Gaurav Sharma
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Nepal late on Tuesday, adding to a run of tremors across the Himalayan region at a time when the country is still dealing with severe flood damage in its northern districts. India’s National Center for Seismology said the quake was recorded at 9:38:39 pm IST at a depth of 143 km.
The NCS placed the epicentre at 29.022 degrees north latitude and 83.978 degrees east longitude, within Nepal. There were no immediate reports of casualties or structural damage after the tremor. The depth of the quake also suggests that its impact at the surface may have been less severe than a shallow earthquake of similar magnitude.
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Nepal late Tuesday at a depth of 143 km, following a smaller 3.8 magnitude tremor on Sunday, September 6. Located within Nepal (29.022°N, 83.978°E), the earthquake caused no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Nepal earthquake follows Sunday tremor
Tuesday night’s earthquake came two days after Nepal recorded a smaller tremor on Sunday, September 6. According to the NCS, that quake had a magnitude of 3.8 and struck at 6:59:47 pm IST. It was much shallower, with a depth of 20 km, and its epicentre was located at 27.747 degrees north latitude and 86.163 degrees east longitude.
The two tremors are not unusual for Nepal, which lies in one of the world’s most active seismic belts. The country sits along the boundary where the Indian tectonic plate pushes beneath the Eurasian plate. This slow but powerful movement has shaped the Himalayas and continues to produce frequent earthquakes across Nepal, Tibet, northern India and adjoining regions.
