A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the remote region of Tibet on the morning of January 7th, claiming the lives of over 120 people and causing widespread tremors across the Himalayas, affecting neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, and northern India.
- The earthquake’s epicenter was located in Tingri County, approximately 75 kilometers northeast of Mount Everest, near the China-Nepal border.
Key Highlights:
- Epicenter Location:
- Tingri, a rural county (Tibet) serving as the northern gateway to the Everest region.
- Close to Xigaze, a significant city in Tibetan Buddhism, home to the Panchen Lama.
- Tectonic Context:
- The Tibetan Plateau is shaped by the ongoing collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which began 55 million years ago.
- The Indian Plate continues to move beneath the Eurasian Plate at a rate of approximately 5 cm per year, causing the Himalayas to rise gradually.
- Earthquake Basics:
- An earthquake occurs when tectonic plates slip along a fault plane, releasing energy as seismic waves.
- The hypocenter is the location below the Earth’s surface where the slip starts, and the epicenter is directly above it on the surface.
- Seismic Waves:
- P Waves (Primary Waves): Travel fastest, causing longitudinal compression. They can move through solids, liquids, and gases.
- S Waves (Secondary Waves): Slower, causing transverse shaking. They travel only through solids.
- Seismometers measure these waves to determine an earthquake’s strength and location.
(Source: USGS, DoE)
