The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake at a depth of 9.7 km in Sikkim State in northeast India, slightly after 11.40 am local time (slightly after 6.10 am GMT) on Thursday 3 October 2013. The quake is reported to have caused minor damage to buildings in the state capitol, Gangtok, and was felt across much of Sikkim and Darjeeling, but is not thought to have caused any more injuries.
The approximate location of the 3 October 2013 Sikkim Earthquake. Google Maps.
Northeast India is on the northern part of the Indian Plate, close to its boundary with Eurasia. India is moving northward, pushing into Eurasia at a rate of 40 mm a year. This causes quakes on both plates, as well as the folding and uplift that has created the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.
See also Two significant Earthquakes in Sagaing Region, northern Myanmar, Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake in Arunachal Pradesh, India, Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake in northern Myanmar, Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake in northwest Myanmar and Earthquake kills at least five in Shangri La and Deqin Counties, Yunnan Province, China.
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