Tibet: Real Cause Behind the 7.1-Magnitude Earthquake that Killed 125 People

TIBET: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 magnitude on the Richter scale struck near the Nepal-Tibet border on Tuesday, which is geographically close to Mount Everest. As a result, it caused significant destruction claimed the lives of approximately 125 people, and left many others injured.

The epicenter of the earthquake was identified as Tingri County, part of Xigazê prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, about 80 kilometers north of Mount Everest. The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of just 10 km, causing a more severe impact and can be felt in neighboring regions, including Nepal and Bhutan.

The Tingri earthquake was triggered by a separation in the Lhasa block which is an area under north-south compression and east-west stress. The Lhasa block, a crucial geological region in southern Tibet, is bordered by the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone to the north and the Indus-Yarlung Zangbo suture zone to the south, according to a report by India Today.

Originating from parts of Australia and East Africa, the Lhasa block merged with the Eurasian plate during the Cretaceous period. Situated between the Qiangtang and Tethyan Himalayan terranes, it is subjected to tectonic forces from the ongoing Indian-Eurasian plate collision.

The report indicates that this activity is causing a north-south compression, causing shortening and uplift to the earth's crust, and west-east stress, leading to the lateral movement of the earth's crust. These processes play a key role in the formation of the Himalayas and impact the region's fault systems and seismic activity.

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