Tuesday 7 February 2017

Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake in Uttarakhand State, India.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake at a depth of 14.2 km, roughly 33 km to the northwest of the town of Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand State, India, slightly after 10.30 pm local time (slightly after 5.00 pm GMT) on Monday 6 February 2017. There are no reports of any damage or casualties arising from this event, but people reported feeling the quake across much of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajastan, Haryana, Punjab and Himchal Pradesh States.

The approximate location of the 6 February 2017 Uttarakhand Earthquake. USGS.

Northeast India is on the northern part of the Indian Plate, close to its boundary with Eurasia. India is moving northward, pushing into Eurasia at a rate of 40 mm a year. This causes quakes on both plates, as well as the folding and uplift that has created the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.

 The movement of India into Eurasia over the last 71 million years. USGS.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
 
See also...
 
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/landslide-kills-four-in-gorkha-district.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/landslides-kill-at-least-eleven-people.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/woman-killed-by-himachal-pradesh.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/multiple-deaths-after-landslide-pushes.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/landslide-hits-bus-in-palpa-district.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/landslide-hits-nepal-school-killing-at.html
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