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Nepal - living in tectonically active locations - earthquakes - Coggle…
Nepal - living in tectonically active locations - earthquakes
GDP per capita 1,208.22 USD (2021)
tectonic setting -
earthquake prone country - on average it receives two 7-8MW earthquakes every 40 years and one 8+ MW every 80 years
Nepal is situated in the middle of the collision zone where the Indo-Australian plate meets the Eurasian plate - as these grind against each other pressures build up and energy is released as earthquakes
geological structure of valleys in Nepal increases seismic risk
pre-historic lakes filled many of the valleys and their legacy is hundreds of metres of relatively soft sediment
In the Kathmandu valley, the depth of sediment reaches 600 m
as seismic waves pass through this material they are amplified causing structures to swing violently
liquefaction can be a major hazard depending on the amount of water content in soil at the time of the quake
The Gorkha Earthquake, Nepal
25th April 2015 earthquake struck
7.8MW
epicentre - 90km NorthEast of Kathmandu the capital of Nepal
51 aftershocks equal to or above 5 MW and five above 6MW including a 7.3 MW aftershock in May 2015
many landslides caused
snow and ice avalanches caused, including on Everest
tremors felt across neighbouring Indian states and into China
social impacts -
8800 fatalities and just over 22,000 people were injured in Nepal
160 deaths in other countries, mainly in India
avalanches on Everest killed 20 climbers
more than 2.8 million were displaced from the Kathmandu valley
473,000 houses were either destroyed or badly damaged
estimated 1 million people required food assistance
single women were at a disadvantage and struggled to obtain emergency food and medical aid as most aid was controlled by men and women were often discriminated against
economic impacts -
cost of US$10 billion
Nepal's government borrowed $200 million for reconstruction from the Asian development bank and so levels of debt increased
tourism badly hit (Everest shut for climbing season in 2015) and tourism accounts for 10% of the economy
planting season ahead of monsoon was disrupted leading to impacts of food insecurity
political impacts -
international aid created some tension - e.g India accused of using aid as a way of self-promotion in the region
Nepal received emergency aid for reconstruction from a number of countries including EDCs, LIDCs and ACs leading to better relations
Nepal has become more settled but the earthquake and its economic aftermath have undermined progress towards peace and greater democracy