The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake at a depth of 26.0 km, in the Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan border region, slightly after 6.20 pm
local time (slightly after 12.2 pm GMT) on Friday 31 August 2018.
There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this
event, but it was felt in Almaty in Kazakhstan.
The approximate location of the 31 August Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan border region Earthquake. USGS.
The quake occurred on the northern fringes of the Dzungarian Alatau
Mountains, which form the border between Kyrgyzstan, Khazakhstan and
China, and form part of the greater Tian Shan range. The Tian Shan are
part of the Himalayan Orogenic Belt, mountains in Central Asia pushed
upwards by the collision of India and Asia. The Indian Plate is
currently pushing into the Eurasian Plate from the south at a rate of 3
cm per year. Since both are continental plates, which do not subduct,
the Eurasian Plate is folding and buckling, causing uplift in the
Himalayas and other mountains of Central Asia.
The movement of India relative to Asia, and the blocks within the eastern part if the Eurasian Plate. University of Wollongong.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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