Nepal earthquake: Impact attributed to huge energy release

The energy generated by the waves shook the ground for some time in the wake of the almost large earthquake of 7.9 magnitude.

April 26, 2015 03:09 am | Updated November 17, 2021 11:06 am IST - HYDERABAD:

An injured girl being carried toa hospital in Malda district ofWest Bengal.

An injured girl being carried toa hospital in Malda district ofWest Bengal.

Tremors were felt across India and as far as Ongole in Andhra Pradesh because of the huge energy generated by the earthquake waves, according to D. Srinagesh, Seismologist at the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).

Dr. Srinagesh, who was on his way to Hyderabad from Guwahati, told The Hindu that the energy generated by the waves shook the ground for some time in the wake of the almost large earthquake of 7.9 magnitude on the Richter Scale that hit Nepal.

He said the ground motion would get amplified if the local site has alluvial soil and clay, while pointing out that every part of the Indo-Gangetic plain shook.

He said Nepal was one of the highly seismic regions and situated on the Indo-Eurasian collision zone.

Directional slip According to another NGRI seismologist, Dr. Vineet Gahalaut, who is in the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand,  the directional slip (ruptured directivity) of the earthquake occurred from north to south in the epicentre region. Because of the ruptured directivity, regions close to south of the epicentre experienced more ground motion that those to the east and west of the epicentre.

Another senior NGRI seismologist, R.K. Chadha said any earthquake close to eight magnitude would be felt up to 2,000 km as it would generate tremendous energy, he said.

Massive earthquake in Nepal; over 1,500 killed

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7.9 earthquake in Nepal; tremors felt across north India

A strong 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal's capital causing massive damage. Some tremors are reported to have lasted as much as 20 seconds.

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A selection of images capturing the extent of damage

These visualisations show how the intensity varied with distance from epicentre. > Read more The PM spoke to Nepal President and Chief Ministers of Bihar, Sikkim. > Read more Helpline no.s: +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104 and +91 11 2301 7905. > Read more
"Blind thrust" quakes are ones that do not break the surface, and tend to be more frequent. These records indicate that the region has a rich history of quakes in the past centuries. > Read more
 
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook Nepal’s capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, the worst quake in the Himalayan nation in over 80 years. A look at the world’s strongest earthquakes since 1900. > Read more
  

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