Our hopes and prayers are offered for Nepal and its people after another series of major earthquakes shook the Himalayan nation on Tuesday, just two weeks and two days after a 7.8 quake there killed more than 8,000, left more than 20,000 injured and thousands more missing.
Tuesday’s quakes — the largest a 7.3 magnitude — killed at least 68 and injured another 1,261 people, according to early reports. A U.S. military helicopter, six marines and two Nepalese soldiers working a relief mission are missing, according to news reports.
Moving mountains
After the first quake, scientists reviewing satellite data found that part of the Himalayas had dropped close to 5 feet as the pressure between two tectonic plates pushing against each other became too great, resulting in an earthquake. In addition to the Himalayas dropping, the area of Nepal near Kathmandu rose by about the same number of feet, according to a Monday story posted on the “Popular Science” website. But scientists believe the adjustments aren’t likely to last long. As the earth’s plates continue to push and pull against each other, the area of the Himalayas that sank will get squashed up and back into place, and Kathmandu will settle back down.Source: www.popsci.com/after-earthquake-himalayas-drop-three-feet
The latest earthquake is reported to have affected at least half of the small Asian country sandwiched between China and India.