Nepal on EARTH Magazine

Lack of afterslip in Nepal hints at mounting tensions

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 13:39:41 -0400

Within days of the April 2015 Gorkha earthquake, UNAVCO researchers were on the ground in Nepal to collect geophysical data, check on instruments and help with relief efforts. Credit: UNAVCO/John Galetzka.

On April 25, 2015, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, northwest of Kathmandu, damaging much of the capital city, flattening surrounding villages and killing more than 8,000 people. The quake’s hypocenter was relatively shallow, only 15 kilometers below ground on a fault that’s part of the Main Himalayan Thrust. Yet the displacement didn’t rupture all the way to the surface, indicating that only part of the fault slipped. Now, in a new study looking at how the fault continued to move following the 2015 event, researchers have found that the shallower section of the fault is likely still locked — and potentially loaded for another earthquake.

Geoscience on Film: The view from outside Kathmandu

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 10:46:07 -0400

This school — seen here in June 2016 — was one of roughly 300 in Nepal that survived the intense shaking of the April 2015 Gorkha earthquake after it was retrofitted to withstand strong ground motion. Credit: Diane LaMacchia

Doug Prose, formerly a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and his wife, Diane LaMacchia, have produced documentaries showcasing Earth and the geosciences through their nonprofit Earth Images Foundation since 1992. Recent films have included “Earth: The Inside Story” and “Italy’s Mystery Mountains," both released in 2014 and aired on PBS. In spring 2015, Prose blogged for EARTH while filming on location in eastern and northern India for a documentary delving into the complex interplay of tectonics, natural hazards and humanity in the Himalayan region. Just weeks after departing, the massive Gorkha earthquake struck, severely damaging parts of Nepal, northern India and Tibet, and prompting LaMacchia and Prose to return to the region this June to investigate recovery efforts in the quake’s aftermath. Prose wrote about their recent experiences while there, and filed the following series of posts upon returning home. Read posts in this series, as well as from the 2015 trip, here.

Geoscience on Film: Revisiting an earthquake-ravaged region, one year on

Fri, 24 Jun 2016 11:15:39 -0400

Damage overall in Kathmandu from the April 2015 Gorkha earthquake was lighter than anticipated, but it was different story in the city's historic Durbar Square, where the extensive damage is still obvious 14 months later. Credit: Doug Prose

Doug Prose, formerly a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and his wife, Diane LaMacchia, have produced documentaries showcasing Earth and the geosciences through their nonprofit Earth Images Foundation since 1992. Recent films have included “Earth: The Inside Story” and “Italy’s Mystery Mountains," both released in 2014 and aired on PBS. In spring 2015, Prose blogged for EARTH while filming on location in eastern and northern India for a documentary delving into the complex interplay of tectonics, natural hazards and humanity in the Himalayan region. Just weeks after their departure, the massive Gorkha earthquake struck, severely damaging parts of Nepal, northern India and Tibet, and prompting LaMacchia and Prose to return to the region this June to investigate recovery efforts in the quake’s aftermath. Prose wrote about their recent experiences while there, and filed the following series of posts upon returning home. Read posts in this series, as well as from the 2015 trip, here.

Medieval earthquakes in Nepal may help reveal the region's tectonic future

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 13:38:34 -0400

Scientists found that the sediments underlying Pokhara, in Nepal, which suffered substantial damage from the April 2015 Gorhka earthquake, were deposited by landslides triggered by several medieval-age earthquakes. Credit: Amelie Stolle

The magnitude-7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal in April 2015 triggered landslides and damage that killed more than 8,500 people and injured at least 20,000, including many in and around Pokhara, the country’s second largest city. In a new study, scientists have found evidence that the city — also a major center of tourism in Nepal — and its surroundings sit atop debris from several large medieval-age quakes, confirming that the recent temblor is only the latest in a region with a long history of major earthquakes.

Working near Gorkha's epicenter

Thu, 19 Nov 2015 10:21:30 -0500

Sitaula's team purchased the tin roofing material in Banepa, about four hours away from the villages where it would be delivered. With the help of a few strong men from the villages, they loaded it, drove it back to the villages and distributed it. Credit: Ajay Sitaula.

Hari Krishna Bhattarai works for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Nepal, as well as for Educating Nepal, an organization that aims to improve the education of Nepali schoolchildren. On Friday, April 24, Bhattarai was working at a field site in Gorkha, tending to various WWF-related projects and working with locals in the Gorkha region. The next day, April 25, was a Nepalese public holiday, so Bhattarai returned to his home city, Pokhara, near the Annapurna Massif. The Gorkha quake struck Saturday, doing little damage to Pokhara. On Monday, Bhattarai returned to the area near Barpak, where he had been working, to deliver relief supplies like beans and rice.

Narratives from Nepal: Relief and rebuilding after the Gorkha Earthquake

Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:00:19 -0500

People at base camp on Everest — shown here during an avalanche in 2013 — felt the shaking of the April 25 Gorkha quake, which was followed by an enormous avalanche that killed 19 people. Credit: Deana Zabaldo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Base Camp, Mount Everest, April 25, 2015, about noon: A tremendous boom echoes through the air, the ground heaves and a wall-like cloud of snow propelled by an avalanche advances toward the tents. Mountaineers scatter, diving into tents to avoid the blast. One mountaineer has a video camera and captures the whole thing, as he curses and dives into a tent while the cloud of snow engulfs him. He survives, but 19 others perish. This firsthand account of the Gorkha quake is now famous, caught on camera and posted to YouTube.

Getting there and getting around Nepal

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 13:26:25 -0400

A street vendor in Kathmandu selling colorful powders used in Hindu festivals, such as Diwali. Credit: Jesse Davenport.

A Nepali woman cleaning and sorting rice. Credit: Jesse Davenport.

Flights: The only international airport in Nepal is Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. There are a handful of other airports throughout Nepal, but these are much smaller and offer only domestic flights. There are a few direct flights from the U.S., but these are quite expensive. Most itineraries require at least one stop, for example, in the Middle East, such as in Qatar or Abu Dhabi, or in China or Thailand. Many flight options also offer layovers in India, although Indian itineraries require a transit visa that must be procured before traveling.

Travels in Geology: A trek through Himalayan geology in Nepal

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:41:43 -0400

Near the Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal. Credit: Julia Rosen.

[Editor’s Note: On April 25, 2015, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, Nepal, killing and injuring thousands and devastating many of the areas written about earlier in this Travels in Geology feature. The disaster prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a Nepal Travel Alert that will remain in effect until Aug. 1, 2015.]