Lying in one of the most seismically active regions of the world, Nepal has a long history of earthquakes. The first documented earthquake event in the country dates back to 7 June 1255, during the reign of King Abhaya Malla. The quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, took the life of the king and wiped out a third of Kathmandu's then population. [1] Nepal has witnessed at least one major earthquake per century ever since.
The following is a list of earthquakes in Nepal. It includes only major seismic events with their epicentre in the country, and those that occurred outside the country, that resulted in a significant loss of life and property in the country.
Date | Time‡ | Place | Lat | Long | Deaths | Mag. | Comments | Sources | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1255-07-07 | Kathmandu | 27.7 | 85.3 | 2,200 | 7.8 | [2] | ||||
1260 | Sagarmatha | 27.1 | 86.8 | 100 | 7.1 | [3] | ||||
1344 | Mechi | 27.5 | 87.5 | 100 | 7.9 | [3] | ||||
1408-08 | Near Nepal-Tibet Border, Bagmati zone | 27.9 | 86.0 | 2,500 | 8.2 | [3] | ||||
1505-06-06 | Karnali zone see 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake | 29.5 | 83.0 | 6,000 | 8.9 | [3] | ||||
1681-01 | Northern Kosi zone | 27.6 | 87.1 | 4,500 | 8.0 | [3] | ||||
1767-07 | Northern Bagmati zone | 28.0 | 85.5 | 4,000 | 7.9 | [3] | ||||
1833-08-26 | Kathmandu, Bihar see 1833 Kathmandu–Bihar earthquake | 27.9 | 85.5 | 6,500 | 8.0 | [4] | ||||
1869-07-07 | Kathmandu | 27.7 | 85.3 | 750 | 6.5 | [5] | ||||
1916-08-28 | 06:39 | Nepal, Tibet | 30.0 | 81.0 | 3,500 | 7.7 | [6] | |||
1934-01-15 | 08:43 | Nepal, India see 1934 Nepal–India earthquake | 26.773 | 86.762 | 10,700–12,000 | 8.0 | [7] | |||
1966-06-27 | 10:41 | Doti | 29.554 | 80.854 | 80 | 6.3 | [8] | |||
1980-07-29 | 14:58 | Pithoragarh see 1980 Nepal earthquake | 29.598 | 81.092 | 200 | 6.5 | [9] | |||
1988-08-20 | 23:09 | Kathmandu, Bihar see 1988 Nepal earthquake | 26.775 | 86.616 | 1,091 | 6.9 | [10] | |||
2011-09-18 | 18:29 | Sikkim see 2011 Sikkim earthquake | 27.33 | 88.62 | 111 | 6.9 | ||||
2015-04-25 | 11:56 | Gorkha see April 2015 Nepal earthquake | 28.147 | 84.708 | 8,857 | 7.8 or 8.1 | see also list of 2015 aftershocks | [11] | ||
2015-05-12 | 12:38 | Dolakha see May 2015 Nepal earthquake | 27.97 | 85.96 | 213 | 7.3 | One of the 2015 aftershocks | |||
2022-11-09 | 02:12 | Doti see 2022 Nepal earthquake | 29.30 | 81.16 | 6 | 5.7 | [12] [13] | |||
2023-11-03 | 23:47 | Jajarkot | 28.84 | 82.18 | 157 | 5.7 | [14] [15] | |||
2025-01-07 | 06:50 | Tibet | 28.639 | 87.361 | 152 | 7.1 | ||||
Note: The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. | ||||||||||
Earthquakes are caused by movements within the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle. They range from weak events detectable only by seismometers, to sudden and violent events lasting many minutes which have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. Below, earthquakes are listed by period, region or country, year, magnitude, cost, fatalities, and number of scientific studies.
The 1999 İzmit earthquake had a moment magnitude of 7.6 and struck Kocaeli Province, Turkey on 17 August. Between 17,127 and 18,373 people died as a result, and the damage was estimated at US$6.5 billion. It was named for the epicenter's proximity to the northwestern city of İzmit. The earthquake occurred at 03:01 local time at a shallow depth of 15 km (9.3 mi). A maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme) was observed. The earthquake lasted for 37 seconds, causing seismic damage, and is widely remembered as one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern Turkish history.
This list of 20th-century earthquakes is a list of earthquakes of magnitude 6 and above that occurred in the 20th century. Sone smaller events which nevertheless had a significant impact are also included. After 1900 most earthquakes have some degree of instrumental records and this means that the locations and magnitudes are more reliable than for earlier events.
Abhaya Malla was the second Malla king of Nepal and a son of Aridev Malla. He succeeded his father in 1216 and died during the 1255 earthquake which wiped out a third of the population of the Kathmandu Valley.
The Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) is a décollement under the Himalaya Range. This thrust fault follows a NW-SE strike, reminiscent of an arc, and gently dips about 10 degrees towards the north, beneath the region. It is the largest active continental megathrust fault in the world.
In 1954, the state of Nevada was struck by a series of earthquakes that began with three magnitude 6.0+ events in July and August that preceded the Mw 7.1–7.3 mainshock and M 6.9 aftershock, both on December 12. All five earthquakes are among the largest in the state, and the largest since the Cedar Mountain earthquake of 1932 and Pleasant Valley event in 1915. The earthquake was felt throughout much of the western United States.
An earthquake occurred off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula on July 28, 2021, at 10:15 p.m. local time. The large megathrust earthquake had a moment magnitude of 8.2 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A tsunami warning was issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) but later cancelled. The mainshock was followed by a number of aftershocks, including three that were of magnitude 5.9, 6.1 and 6.9 respectively.
The last one in 1255 killed one-third of the Valley's population, including King Abhaya Malla.