by Guest Blogger, January 1, 2016
The 2015 Nepal earthquake occurred at 11:56 NST on 25 April, with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.8Mw and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of IX (Violent).
The quake occurred as the result of tectonic plate movements along the fault line between the India tectonic plate and the overriding Eurasia plate to the north. We’ve produced the interactive story-map below (and on this page) with satellite images and data captured when the quake struck as well as historical images and references to reveal its full impact.
Link to the Interactive Map is here: http://arcg.is/1EX7NiY (Best viewed in browsers other than Firefox.) This region has a history of large and great earthquakes. Four events of M6 or larger have occurred within 250 km of this event over the past century.
The largest, an M 8.0 event known as the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake severely damaged Kathmandu, and is thought to have caused around 10,600 fatalities. Prior to the 20th century, a large earthquake in 1833 is thought to have ruptured a similar area as the 2015 event. The 2015 earthquake has claimed the lives of more than 7,500 people and injured more than twice as many; as of 1 May 2015.
Nepal’s Prime Minister said that the number could reach 10,000. Hundreds of thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of the country. Several pagodas on Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, collapsed, as did the Dharahara tower, built in 1832; the collapse of the latter structure killed at least 180 people. Sources estimate reinsurance claims to reach a maximum of INR10 billion-US$160 million (GIC Re), while others place economic losses between US$1 billion to US$10 billion. (USGS).
Guest blogger Sophie Stouki is a GIS Analyst working for Willis Group’s Spatial Analytics team in London. Since 2012, she has been working toward building geospatial models and tools in order to help our clients assess and manage their risks.
This post was originally published June 15, 2015.
Blog.Willis.com, 1 January 2016