KATHMANDU, JANUARY 7
A powerful earthquake jolted various parts of Nepal early this morning. Officials say the earthquake's epicentre was in Tibet.
According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre (NEMRC), a tremor of magnitude 7 with its epicentre in Dinggye, Tibet was felt in Kathmandu.
Similarly, shortly after the earthquake struck, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and occurred near Xizang.
"The January 7, 2025, M7.1 earthquake near Xizang, occurred as the result of normal faulting at shallow depths north of the boundary between the Eurasia and Indian plates," reads its website.
"Focal mechanism solutions of this earthquake indicate this event was associated with a normal fault oriented roughly perpendicular to the plate boundary north of the Himalayan Mountains within the Eurasian plate."
Seismologist at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Shiba Subedi, told the Himalayan Times that the epicentre of the earthquake was not Nepal but Tibet.
"The epicentre of the earthquake was approximately 285 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu. A massive jolt was felt throughout Nepal. However, due to the proximity of a large-scale earthquake, Nepal is prone to earthquake aftershocks. There is a chance of aftershocks following the earthquake. People should exercise caution and stay safe," he said.
The tremors were felt around 6:50 am in Kathmandu. People across the valley were seen rushing out of their homes. The powerful tremors revived memories of the devastating 7.6-magnitude Gorkha earthquake of April 25, 2015. According to USGS, the quake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale.
Today's impact was particularly strong in eastern hilly districts, including Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Sankhuwasabha, and Bhojpur, with tremors also felt as far as the Tarai region. Solukhumbu, which borders Tibet, experienced significant shaking.
Security forces including Nepali Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police reported that there have been minor damages to mud walls and cracks in walls erected with stones.
No human casualties have been reported so far.
Meanwhile, Indian media reported that the earthquake was felt in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, and other parts of northern India, including Delhi.
According to USGS, the region near the India and Eurasia plate boundary has a history of large earthquakes. In the past century, there have been 10 earthquakes of magnitude 6 and greater within 250 km of today's earthquake. This includes the 2015 Nepal earthquake of magnitude 7.6 located about 160 km to the southwest, and the 1934 M8.0 earthquake, located about 160 to the south-southwest. The 2015 Nepal earthquake was an aftershock of the April 25, 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake. This sequence of 2015 events resulted in 8,669 fatalities and widespread damage.
Based on data collected after the 2015 earthquake and other evidence, geologists and other scientists concluded that there was significant shaking along the midline of the earthquake's rupture, with the shaking being more concentrated on the eastern side of the rupture.
However, there has been no major earthquake in western Nepal since 1505 and a large amount of energy is stored underground, there is a risk of major earthquakes in both Nepal and India.
"Western Nepal has not had a major earthquake in 500 years. This indicates that there is a significant amount of seismic energy stored underground," Subedi told THT.
The layers of rock beneath the Indian subcontinent are shifting northward and being pushed into the Eurasian plate. Geologists have also described it as the Indian subcontinent being gradually swallowed by the Eurasian continent.
The entire Himalayan region is where these two plates collide. The Indian and Eurasian rocks are colliding, putting this region at risk. As a result, earthquakes are always possible near the Himalayas.