Another strong quake strikes Nepal

A massive earthquake hit eastern Nepal on May 12, the largest aftershock to date of the devastating April 25 quake. Colored lines indicate the intensity of ground shaking caused by the quake, which was felt in northern India and Bangladesh.

Google Earth Pro, overlay by USGS, adapted by M. Telfer

By Thomas Sumner

May 12, 2015 at 1:13 pm

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake rattled eastern Nepal near Mount Everest on May 12, hitting just 17 days after one that killed more than 8,000 people in the region. The latest quake is the largest aftershock to date of the April 25 Nepal earthquake, which struck around 150 kilometers to the west, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The aftershock released roughly a third the amount of pent-up energy that powered the main, magnitude 7.8 earthquake. Despite the earth-shaking energy discharged during the two tremors, the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide is primed for even more powerful quakes, researchers say.