It is impossible to predict the exact timing of an earthquake. The US Geological Survey modeling, updated on May 08, suggested a 1 in 200 chance of a M7 - 7.8 earthquake occurring this week. The M7.3 earthquake that struck today at 12:55PM local time (07:05 GMT) was 5.5 times less intense than the previous M7.8 earthquake. But it has dealt a heavy blow to the earthquake survivors, who have been forced to sleep outside their homes again.
A Wall Street Journal article suggests that the M7.3 earthquake today was a part of the chain reaction of the April 25 earthquake, during which the fault boundary ruptures 150 kms eastward from the epicenter. According to Richard Walters, an earthquake geophysicist at University of Leeds, it is "consistent with rupture on the deeper extension of the same fault as it dips to the north, under the Himalayas." Preliminary assessment suggests that the second earthquake was triggered by the stress changes caused by the first one.
This graphic from BBC shows the satellite measurement of the ground movement on April 25, and is overlaid with an early model of the expected shaking by today's earthquake. The red areas indicate areas of 'uplift' and the blue denotes where the land has subsided. The previous epicenter was 80km northwest of the capital in Sindhupalchowk, and today's epicenter was 80km east-northeast of the capital, halfway to Mount Everest.
This shallow quake has affected 31 of the 75 districts. And there has been reports of cracked buildings coming down, as well as landslides in various places. As of 8PM local time, a tweet from Nepali Police placed the total number of dead at 41, and injured at 1115.
A Wall Street Journal article suggests that the M7.3 earthquake today was a part of the chain reaction of the April 25 earthquake, during which the fault boundary ruptures 150 kms eastward from the epicenter. According to Richard Walters, an earthquake geophysicist at University of Leeds, it is "consistent with rupture on the deeper extension of the same fault as it dips to the north, under the Himalayas." Preliminary assessment suggests that the second earthquake was triggered by the stress changes caused by the first one.
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| A comparison of April 25 and May 12 quakes. (Source: BBC) |
This graphic from BBC shows the satellite measurement of the ground movement on April 25, and is overlaid with an early model of the expected shaking by today's earthquake. The red areas indicate areas of 'uplift' and the blue denotes where the land has subsided. The previous epicenter was 80km northwest of the capital in Sindhupalchowk, and today's epicenter was 80km east-northeast of the capital, halfway to Mount Everest.
This shallow quake has affected 31 of the 75 districts. And there has been reports of cracked buildings coming down, as well as landslides in various places. As of 8PM local time, a tweet from Nepali Police placed the total number of dead at 41, and injured at 1115.
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