![]() Damaged homes in Kathmandu after the April mainshock. | |
Epicentre of earthquake | |
UTC time | 2015-04-25 06:11:25 |
---|---|
ISC event | 607208674 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 25 April 2015 |
Local time | 11:56:25 NST[1] |
Duration | 50 seconds |
Magnitude | 7.8 Mw[1] 8.1 Ms |
Depth | 8.2 km (5.1 mi)[1] |
Epicenter | 28°13′48″N 84°43′52″E / 28.230°N 84.731°E[1] |
Fault | Main Himalayan Thrust |
Type | Thrust[1] |
Areas affected | |
Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme)[2][3] |
Peak acceleration | 0.25 g[4] |
Peak velocity | 108 cm/s[4] |
Aftershocks | 7.3 Mw on 12 May at 12:50[5] 6.7 Mw on 26 April at 12:54[6] 459 aftershocks of 4 Mw and above as of 24 May 2016[7] |
Casualties | 8,962 dead in Nepal,[8][9] 21,952 injured,[8] 3.5 million homeless[8] |
The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake)[7][11] killed 8,962 people and injured 21,952 across the Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. It occurred at on Saturday 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8Mw[1] or 8.1Ms[12] and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of X (Extreme). Its epicenter was east of Gorkha District at Barpak, Gorkha, roughly 85 km (53 mi) northwest of central Kathmandu, and its hypocenter was at a depth of approximately 8.2 km (5.1 mi).[1] It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–India earthquake.[13][14][15] The ground motion recorded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, was of low frequency, which, along with its occurrence at an hour when many people in rural areas were working outdoors, decreased the loss of human lives.[16]
The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing 22 people,[17] the deadliest incident on the mountain on record.[18] The earthquake triggered another huge avalanche in the Langtang valley, where 250 people were reported missing.[19]
Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese were made homeless with entire villages flattened[19][20][21] across many districts of the country. Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Patan Durbar Square, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Changu Narayan Temple, the Boudhanath stupa, and the Swayambhunath stupa. Geophysicists and other experts had warned for decades that Nepal was vulnerable to a deadly earthquake, particularly because of its geology, urbanization, and architecture.[22][23] Dharahara, also called Bhimsen Tower, a nine-storey 61.88-metre (203.0 ft) tall tower, was destroyed. It was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO.
Continued aftershocks occurred throughout Nepal at intervals of 15–20 minutes, with one shock reaching a magnitude of 6.7 on 26 April at NST.[6] The country also had a continued risk of landslides.[24]
A major aftershock occurred on 12 May 2015 at with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.3.[25] The epicenter was near the Chinese border between the capital of Kathmandu and Mount Everest.[26] More than 200 people were killed and over 2,500 were injured by this aftershock, and many were left homeless.[27]
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