The earthquake in Nepal is a continuing nightmare for many. As the death toll mounts in the region, anxiety increases for those still in search of their loved ones. So why do earthquakes occur? This video tells you that they are indeed a daily occurrence all over the globe. Watch it to understand why we feel some earthquakes, and why we don't feel others.
The earthquake that occurred on Saturday, April 25, measured 7.9 magnitude. The biggest aftershock that followed on Sunday, April 26 measured 6.7 magnitude. If you wondered how intense the latter was, here's how the calculation of magnitude works.
"Based on their magnitude, quakes are assigned to a class. An increase in one number, say from 5.5 to 6.5, means that a quake's magnitude is 10 times as great," the HT report states.
The earthquake that has taken thousands of lives in Nepal, fell under the 'major' bracket of earthquake magnitudes.
A 'great' magnitude is greater than or equal to 8.0, 'major' ranges from 7.0 to 7.9, 'strong' is between 6.0 and 6.9, 'moderate' is 5.0-5.9, 'light' is 4.0-4.9, 'minor' is 3.0-3.9, 'micro' measures 2.5-3.0. Even a 'moderate' earthquake can cause considerable damage.
What's troubling is that the aftershocks of this quake have ranged from moderate to strong.