A magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit Jajarkot District, Karnali Province, Nepal at 11:47 PM local time (18:02 GMT) on 3 November 2023. The earthquakes caused at least 153 deaths and injured at least 375 people.[1][2] The earthquake was felt in western Nepal and northern India. It wasn't very strong, and relatively few people died. As it occured in an area that is remote and difficult to access, the death toll may still rise. It wasn't very strong, but it caused a lot of damage. This was because the building standards in the region are low. The earthquake also occurred at night.[3]
Nepal is located in the Himalayas, a place where earthquakes happen because the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates are colliding. These plates are moving towards each other at a rate of 1.6 to 2.0 inches per year. The Indian Plate is sliding beneath the Eurasian Plate's landmass, causing faults to form along the collision area. The Main Frontal Thrust is the main fault that handles this movement. Throughout history, earthquakes along these faults have been very destructive.[4]
Earthquakes are quite common in Nepal. In 1934, there was a very big earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 that hit Sagarmatha, and it caused 10,700 deaths in Nepal and India. In 1988, there was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in eastern Nepal that killed over 700 people. In 2015, a big earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit central Nepal and caused the deaths of over 9,000 people, including many in the capital city, Kathmandu.[5]
Earthquake
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of Mw 5.7 and a depth of 17.9 kilometers. The type of fault responsible for the earthquake was identified as a reverse fault along a plane that stretches from northwest to southeast, with the angle of dip being either northeast or southwest.[2] A magnitude 4.0 aftershock was recorded hours later. The epicenter was estimated to be in Ramidanda, located in the Jajarkot District.
