Slightly before 12.30 pm local time (slightly before 7.00 am, GMT) on Wednesday 1 May 2013, eastern Kashmir was shaken by a Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake at a depth of 9.8 km, roughly 100 km northeast of Jammu and 120 km southeast of Srinagar, according to the United States Geological Survey. This is a moderately large Earthquake and dangerous in a mountainous area, and local press are reporting that at least two people have been killed and over 70 injured.
The location of the 1 May 2013 Earthquake. Google Maps.
Kashmir is in the Himalayas, on the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian Plates. India is pushing northwards into the Eurasian Plate at a rate of about 5 cm per year, causing folding and uplift along the boundary, which has created the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau and mountain ranges of Central Asia. This is not a smooth motion, the rocks of the boundary resist the movement, then give way as the pressure builds up, leading to frequent Earthquakes.
Damage to a house following the 1 May 2013 Earthquake. Earthquake Report.
See also A least 12 fatalities after a Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, 83 feared dead after Tibetan landslip, Earthquake in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan, Earthquake rattles Assam, northeast India and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.
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