Nepal: 4.1 magnitude earthquake jolts country

An earthquake of 4.1 magnitude hit Nepal on Monday, in the early hours of the morning.

The quake took place 21 km NNE of Nagarkot, Nepal. The epicentre was at a depth of 10.0 km, determined to be at 27.907°N latitude and 85.573°E longitude.

“An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter Scale hit 21 km NNE of Nagarkot, Nepal, at 5.52am today,” stated the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The recent earthquakes in Nepal that have caused unprecedented damage to lives and property, have necessitated the demand for well-framed policy measures to manage such disasters.

The earthquake, known as the Gorkha earthquake, also shook several cities across north India. Tremors had also been felt in Lahore, Pakistan, Lhasa (in Tibet), and in Dhaka (in Bangladesh). Following the quake, Kathmandu’s international airport was shut down.

The earthquake had also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing 22 people.

A major aftershock took place on May 12, 2015, the epicentre of which was near the Chinese border between Kathmandu and Mount Everest. It was estimated that over 200 people were killed in this powerful aftershock, and over 2,500 were injured.

Nepal had suffered its worst-recorded earthquake in 1934. Measured at 8.0 on the Richter scale, it destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.

It has been established that the Indian plate is getting subducted under the Eurasian plate at the rate of 5cm per year. This is responsible for the formation and increasing height of the young fold mountains of the Himalayas, but is also making the region prone to earthquakes. Disasters like quakes can wreak havoc in the event of cities in such areas being unprepared for them.

Agencies