Natural Hazards of Nepal

Nepal is located directly on top of the boundary between two plates - the Indo-Australian and Eurasian. This is a convergent boundary where collision occurs. Collision means that the rock is going to move upward which is what formed the Himalayas and, subsequently, the Tibetan Plateau. This also means that Nepal has significant seismic activity and is prone to earthquakes and flooding.  Earthquakes  lead to landslides which often dam rivers and lead to flooding, something that is further exacerbated by their monsoon season. They experienced a huge earthquake - magnitude 7.8 - in 2015 that devastated the country and took thousands of lives. Knowing what type of plate boundary they are on should help them to prepare for the natural hazards they are likely to face. However, Nepal is a relatively poor country which means they don’t really have the money to retrofit their buildings such as we do in California.  There are multiple thrust systems beneath this boundary. If these ...

The small country of Nepal houses the famed Mount Everest. It is situated in Southeast Asia between China and India and lies in the Himalayas. It has a population of approximately 29.7 million people, over 80% of whom are Hindu. The terrain is varied, including lowlands, foothills, valleys, and, of course, the Himalayan mountain range. Nepal is subject to a range of hazards including earthquakes, floods and landslides - shockingly, according to the World Bank, they are the second most vulnerable country in the world. The catastrophic 2015 earthquake killed thousands and damaged over 600,000 homes. The poverty of this country means that disasters and catastrophes cause many more deaths than they may in other countries that have more economic stability.  Hazards vs Disasters vs Catastrophes A natural hazard is a natural process such as an earthquake or hurricane that could potentially cause damage to human life or property. A natural disaster is a hazardous event which occurs wi...