Nepal Earthquake
(Excursions)
Workout
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct answers.
1. The epicentre of the 2015 Nepal earthquake was located in the ............. district of Nepal.
a. Lamjung. [✓]
b. Kaski. [ ]
c. Gorkha. [ ]
d. Dolakha. [ ]
2. The earthquake triggered an avalanche in the ................
a. Barun Valley. [ ]
b. Langtang Valley. [✓]
c. Khumbu Valley. [ ]
d. Rowling Valley. [ ]
3. The ................ suture zone lies in the southern border of Nepal.
a. Indus-Yarlung. [✓]
b. Indus-Ganga. [ ]
c. Yarlung-Brahmaputra. [ ]
d. Yarlung-Ganga. [ ]
4. The Nepal earthquake was caused by ............. faulting.
a. thrust. [✓]
b. divergent. [ ]
c. strip stike. [ ]
d. reverse. [ ]
B. Answer these questions in detail.
1. Explain the causes of the Nepal earthquake.
= The earthquake was caused by thrust faulting along the major fault line of the Earth's crust located in the Indus-Yarlung suture zone. The Eurasian plate is slowly slipping under the Indian plate along this fault line. This tectonic activity is responsible for the increase in the height of the Himalayas every year. The effects of this earthquake were amplified because Kathmandu basin is made of soft sedimentary rocks that collapse easily.
2. Why is Nepal an earthquake prone region?
= Nepal is a landlocked country in the central Himalayan region. It is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. The Himalayas are young fold mountains that were formed due to the collision of the Indo-European plate and the Eurasian plate. The Himalayas are gradually rising in height, which explains the proneness of this region to earthquakes.
3. Explain the impacts of the Nepal earthquake.
= ❐ The number of casualties was reported to be around 8,800. More than 20,000 people suffered serious injuries.
❐ According to the Nepal Earthquake Assessment Unit, almost 80,000 people were displaced during the earthquake. The most number of displaced people were reported from Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kathmandu and Sindhupalchowk districts.
❐ The earthquake caused massive infrastructural damage to Nepal. Thousands of houses were destroyed and many villages and heritage buildings were completely flattened, especially those around the epicentre. This included parts of Taleju Temple and the Dharahara Tower, which collapsed entirely.
❐ The earthquake triggered avalanches and landslides in the region. The worse-hit region was the Langtang Valley where a three-kilometre-wide avalanche wiped out the entire village of Ghodatabela and Langtang. Nearly 300 people were reported missing from this village.
❐ The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 13 mountaineers. Landslides struck a number of villages near Pokhara and destroyed nearly half of the houses in the Lumle village.
❐ Essential services such as healthcare were suspended or were inaccessible to the people. The Tribhuvan International Airport was closed down and transportation services were temporarily suspended.
❐ The earthquake adversely affected the economy of Nepal. The total rebuilding cost of the infrastructural damage was around 6 to 8 billion dollars. The tourism sector that provides employment to thousands of people in Nepal suffered a huge setback as tourist destinations were inaccessible. The banking sector also incurred a huge loss.
❐ In the aftermath of the earthquake, a disease called scrub typhus broke out, which claimed hundreds of lives.
❐ The earthquake also had a lot of social impacts. People living in the temporary shelters became vulnerable to crime.
4. Explain the relief and rescue work carried out during the Nepal earthquake.
= The rescue operations were carried out by the Nepalese army under Operation Sankat Mochan. It was carried out with the support of the Red Cross. The Indian Army and the United States Marine Crops also carried out relief and rescue operations. The earthquake victims also received relief from many international organizations such as Heifer International, Mercy Corps, World Health Organization and BBC Media Action.