Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits Nepal, leaving homes destroyed, 17 injured and 1 missing

Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits Nepal, leaving homes destroyed, 17 injured and 1 missing
WATCHERS



A strong and shallow earthquake registered by India’s National Center for Seismology (NCS) as M6.2 hit Nepal at 09:21 UTC (15:06 local time) on October 3, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 5 km (3.1 miles). USGS and EMSC are reporting M5.7 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). 


According to the NCS, the quake was preceded by M4.6 and followed by M3.6, M3.1, M3.5, M4.3, M3.9 and M3.0 by 14:00 UTC.


The epicenter was located 38.7 km (24.1 miles) NE of Dipayal (population 23 416), 65.8 km (40.9 miles) ENE of Dadeldhurā (population 19 014), and 72.9 km (45.3 miles) ENE of Dārchulā (population 18 317), Sudurpashchim Pradesh, Nepal.


The area is seismically very active and associated with collisional tectonics where the Indian plate
subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate, NCS said.


The event was well recorded by more than 60 broadband seismic stations installed by the NCS. The analysis of seismic data shows that the events occurred on North Almora Thrust (NAT) which provides a very apt location for triggering the mainshock due to appreciable structural heterogeneity in and around the mainshock.



The preliminary fault plane solution derived from moment tensor inversion suggests a thrust fault. The earthquake was located 50 km (31 miles) NNE of the recent M6.3 earthquake on November 9, 2022.



6.3 and 5.3 magnitude #earthquakes rock #Nepal, leaving 11 #injured



While the #epicenters were situated in western #Nepal, the effects of the #quakes were #felt as far away as #NewDelhi, #India.



According to the USGS PAGER, 1 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 83 000 strong, and 158 000 moderate.


The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.





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