Tingri: A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale struck Tibet early on Monday. According to the China Earthquake Administration (CEA), the earthquake hit the city of Shigatse at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
Authorities have dispatched emergency response services and no casualties have been reported so far. In January, more than 120 died in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Tibet’s Tingri county, around 240 km (149 miles) away from Shigatse.
Shallow earthquakes are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth’s surface, causing stronger ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties, compared to deeper earthquakes, which lose energy as they travel to the surface.
The Tibetan Plateau is known for its seismic activity due to tectonic plate collisions. Tibet and Nepal lie on a major geological fault line where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence as a result of it. The region is seismically active, causing tectonic uplifts that can grow strong enough to change the heights of the Himalayas’ peaks.
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