Magnitude 6.8 earthquake in southern Tibet kills at least 126 people.

The China Earthquake Networks Center recorded a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km beneath Tingri County in southern Tibet, close to Mount Everest and the border with Tibet at about 9.05 am local time on Tuesday 7 January 2025 (about 1.05 am, GMT). The Earthquake was felt across southern Tibet, eastern Nepal, western Bhutan, northeastern India and northern Bangladesh. More than 150 aftershocks have been recorded since the original event.

The approximate location of the 7 January 2025 Tibet Earthquake. USGS.

At the time of writing rescue workers have reported 126 deaths and 188 people injured in Tibet and another five injuries in Nepal. However, the number of casualties is likely to rise significantly, as the population in the area around the epicentre of the Earthquake largely live in small, remote villages, largely cut off from the outside world, and which are subsequently difficult for rescue workers to reach. To make matters worse, daytime temperatures in the area average -8°C at this time of year, falling to -18°C at night. More than a thousand homes have been damaged or destroyed in areas that rescue workers have managed to reach, so is likely that in other areas people may have lost  their homes or be trapped beneath debris, vulnerable to the cold.

Rescue workers in Tingri County, Tibet, following a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake on Tuesday 7 January 2024. Xinhua/AP.

Earthquake activity in the area is caused by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, due to the impact of India into Eurasia to the south. he Indian Plate is moving northwards at a rate of 5 cm per year, causing it to impact into Eurasia, which is also moving northward, but only at a rate of 2 cm per year. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has led to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

Block diagram showing how the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia is causing uplift on the Tibetan Plateau. Jayne Doucette/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Much of Tibet and neighbouring areas of Central Asia and the Himalayas, are prone to Earthquakes caused by the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia from the south. When two tectonic plates collide in this way and one or both are oceanic then one will be subducted beneath the other (if one of the plates is continental then the other will be subducted), but if both plates are continental then subduction will not fully occur, but instead the plates will crumple, leading to folding and uplift (and quite a lot of Earthquakes). The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has lead to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

The movement of India into Eurasia over the last 71 million years. USGS.

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Murina yushuensis: A new species of Tube-nosed Bat from a high altitude cave on the Tibetan Plateau.

Tube-nosed Bats, Murina spp., are a large group of Vespertilionid Bats found from northeastern Russia to Papua New Guinea. There are currently 40 described species in the genus about half of which have been described in the past decade, largely from genetic studies which have uncovered many cryptic species, predominantly in South and Southeast China. These Bats are insectivorous, and generally found in lowland forests, with the maximum known diversity in South China and Southeast Asia, although this may be due to a lack of sampling in more northerly parts of China.

In a paper published in the Journal of Mammalogy on 23 October 2024, Xiaoyun Wang of the Key Laboratory of Conservation and Application in Biodiversity of South China at Guangzhou University, Xuesong Han of the Shan Shui Conservation Center and the Center for Nature and Society at Peking University, Gábor Csorba of the Department of Zoology at the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Yi Wu, also of the Key Laboratory of Conservation and Application in Biodiversity of South China at Guangzhou University, Huaiqing Chen also of the Center for Nature and Society at Peking University, Xiang Zhao and  Zhengyi Dong, also of the Shan Shui Conservation Center, Wenhua Yu,again of the Key Laboratory of Conservation and Application in Biodiversity of South China at Guangzhou University, and Zhi Lu, again of the Center for Nature and Society at Peking University, describe a new species of Murina from a high altitude cave on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province in Northeast China.

On 15 March 2018, a Bat roosting in the entrance to a cave on the bank of the Batang River about 8 km from the city of Yushu and 3770 m above sealevel was disturbed, responding by making a long, high-pitched noise. At the time the significance of this was not realised, but when the significance was realised, several repeat visits were made, with the Bat being found again on 25 December 2018.

The new species is described from this single male specimen, and is named Murina yushuensis, where 'yushuensis' means 'from Yushu'. The single specimen is 30.44 mm long (small for a member of the genus). with dark skin and small round ears, lacking the notch seen in some members of the genus. The fur of the dorsal surface is about 10 mm in length, with the basal 7 mm being black in colour, and the 3 mm at the tip being a golden brown. The fur of the ventral surface is slightly shorter, which the basal black portion being about 6 mm, and the 3 mm of the tip being pale. 

Holotype specimen of Murina yushuensis, GZHU 20077. Wang et al. (2024).

The Batang River is a tributary of the Yangtze running across the Tibetan Plateau, at altitudes of between 3860 m and 3530 m above sealevel. The area where Murina yushuensis was discovered has a mean annual temperature of only 2.9°C, and an annual average precipitation of 487 mm. The vegetation is largely meadows of Feathergrass with scattered shrubs and patches of Juniper woodland. This is a distinctly unusual environment for a member of a genus usually found in lowland tropical and subtropical forests. Murina yushuensis was discovered at the highest altitude any member of the genus has ever been recorded at, with the previous record being a specimen of the Little Tube-nosed But, Murina aurata, found at 2500 m. However, Wang et al. consider that while Murina yushuensis may seem exceptional, it is also potentially an indicator that other species of the genus may be living at high and intermediate altitudes, and not yet discovered due to a lack of sampling.

Surrounding environment of the cave where Murina yushuensis was discovered in March 2018. Wang et al. (2024).

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Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake in Bajhang District, Nepal.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake at a depth of 20.1 km, in Bajhang District, Nepal slightly after 2.20 pm local time, (slightly after 9.20 am GMT) on Tuesday 3 October 2023. The event was felt as far away as New Delhi in India, and is reported to have injured at least seventeen people, with one more missing and presumed dead after being engulphed by a rockfall. A number of homes are reported to have collapsed in the town of Chainpur, and a major highway is reported to have been blocked by a landslide triggered by the event. The initial event has been followed by at least two significant aftershocks. 

The approximate location of the 3 October 2023 Bajhang District Earthquake. USGS.

Earthquake activity in Nepal is caused by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, due to the impact of India into Eurasia to the south. The Indian Plate is moving northwards at a rate of 5 cm per year, causing it to impact into Eurasia, which is also moving northward, but only at a rate of 2 cm per year. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has led to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

Block diagram showing how the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia is causing uplift on the Tibetan Plateau. Jayne Doucette/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Much of northern India and neighbouring areas of Central Asia and the Himalayas, are prone to Earthquakes, caused by the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia from the south. When two tectonic plates collide in this way and one or both are oceanic then one will be subducted beneath the other (if one of the plates is continental then the other will be subducted), but if both plates are continental then subduction will not fully occur, but instead the plates will crumple, leading to folding and uplift (and quite a lot of Earthquakes). The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has led to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

The movement of India into Eurasia over the last 71 million years. USGS.

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Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake in Bajura District, Nepal, kills at least one.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake at a depth of 25.2 km, in Bajura District, Nepal slightly before 2.00 pm local time, (slightly 9.00 am GMT) on Tuesday 24 January 2023. The event was felt as far away as New Delhi in India, and is known to have killed at least one, with several more injured and about 40 houses damaged or destroyed. The single Human fatality is reported to be a woman who was struck by a rock while gathering fodder on a hillside. Several Cattle and other farm Animals are also reported to have been killed.

The approximate location of the 24 January 2023 Bajura District Earthquake. USGS.

Earthquake activity in Nepal is caused by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, due to the impact of India into Eurasia to the south. he Indian Plate is moving northwards at a rate of 5 cm per year, causing it to impact into Eurasia, which is also moving northward, but only at a rate of 2 cm per year. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has lead to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

Block diagram showing how the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia is causing uplift on the Tibetan Plateau. Jayne Doucette/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Much of northern India and neighbouring areas of Central Asia and the Himalayas, are prone to Earthquakes caused by the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia from the south. When two tectonic plates collide in this way and one or both are oceanic then one will be subducted beneath the other (if one of the plates is continental then the other will be subducted), but if both plates are continental then subduction will not fully occur, but instead the plates will crumple, leading to folding and uplift (and quite a lot of Earthquakes). The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has lead to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

The movement of India into Eurasia over the last 71 million years. USGS.

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Flash flooding kills at least twelve in western China.

At least twelve people have died, and thousands more have been forced to flee their homes, in a series of flash floods across western China. Six people have been confirmed dead and another twelve are missing in Sichuan Province, where 13 000 people have been evacuated from homes in low lying areas. In the city of Longnan, which lies in southern Gansu Province, slightly to the northeast of Sichuan, another six people have died and 3000 people have been forced to abandon their homes.

Cars trapped by floodwater in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China. China News Service/Getty Images.

The flooding was triggered by 36 hours of near-continuous rainfall which fell over Friday 15-Saturday 16 July 2022, part of a season of extreme weather being suffered by China (and many other parts of the world). Much of China has been hit by an extreme heat wave, with many areas suffering heat in excess of 40°C. This has caused a wide range of problems, including making western China, which has a monsoonal climate, more vulnerable to flash flooding. 

Extreme heat waves can kill off herbaceous vegetation, which tends to stabilise environments against such events, and cause upper soil layers to bake dry, forming a solid crust which does not absorb water readily, leading it to flow over the soil surface. At the same time the high temperatures have extended over the South China Sea, raising the level of evaporation there, and therefore the amount of water being carried northward by southerly winds prevalent in the region at this time of year. As these warm, water-laden winds hit the uplands of the southern Tibetan Plateau, in western Sichuan and southern Gansu, they are pushed upwards where they encounter cooler air, leading them to rapidly drop their moisture as rainfall, leading to flash flooding events.

Diagrammatic representation of wind and rainfall patterns in a tropical monsoon climate. Geosciences/University of Arizona.

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Human burials in a high altitude cave system in western Tibet.

Caves have been inhabited by Humans throughout the history of our species, but have also been widely used for other purposes, often mystical rather than practical in nature. One widespread use of caves has been as a burial site for the dead, both in natural and Human created spaces within caves. Such burials have been recorded at several places within the Nepalese part of the Tibetan Plateau, but to date have not been recorded from Tibet itself.

In a paper published in the journal Antiquity on 7 April 2022, Hongliang Lu and Ziyan Li of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Sichuan University, Chilie Ciren of the Tibet Autonomous Region Institute of Cultural Relics Conservation, Doudou Cao, also of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Sichuan University, and of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, Xuan Gao, again of the School of Archaeology and Museology at Sichuan University, and Linhui Li, also of the Tibet Autonomous Region Institute of Cultural Relics Conservation, describe the discovery of an ancient burial site at the Sding Chung cave system in western Tibet.

The cave system is located on a mountain slope between the Gangdise and Himalayan Mountain ranges at an altitude of 5000 m. It is thought to have formed when part of the rock body collapsed following water dissolution (essentially as a sinkhole), but is now dry. The cave system is made up of two sets of branching tunnels, connected by a 14 m deep shaft. Both layers contained extensive collections of Human and Animal remains, as well as a few artefacts, which were spread out over the floors of the caves.

The location of the Sding Chung site. Ziyan Li in Lu et al. (2022).

Lu et al. divided the system into twelve units, collecting all artefacts from each of these, as well as taking samples of both the Human and Animal remains, although the majority of these were left in situ. More material was taken from the upper cave than the lower, due to unsafe conditions in the lower cave, and more Human remains were collected than Animal ones, with a preference for collecting skulls. The Human and Animal material was concentrated in a few branch caves, with little material found within the connecting tunnels. 

The landscape of Sding Chung. F Deng in Lu et al. (2022).

The floors of the three larger branches of the upper cave system (SG2, SG3, NG4) had a dense covering of Human and Animal remains, as well as a smaller number of artefacts. With the exception of two individuals found with the pelvis and vertebra attached by soft tissues, the Human remains were disarticulated and intermingled, although it is unclear whether this was done at the time of deposition or by later Human activities (which could have been associated with either ritual practices or looting). The most frequently encountered Human remains were crania, pelvises and limbs, although it is unclear if this was a product of collecting bias (these are generally the largest and most visible parts of a Human skeleton), or reflects a ritual practice in which more of these elements were deposited in the cave. A total of 526 Human bone and bone-fragment samples were identified in the upper caves, representing at least 34 individuals.

Plan and section views of the Sding Chung cave system. Kaiqi Zhang & Ziyan Li in Lu et al. (2022).

The most abundant Animal bones in the caves were those of Caprids (Goats), with those of Bovids, Equids, and Felids also present. Moat of these were found in a single branch cave (SG2). Some of the Animal remains were in the form of articulated limbs, often with skin and other soft tissues still present. At least three overlapping Equid skeletons were present. At least some of the Animal carcasses appear to have been transported to the caves intact. The artefacts found include bronze, ceramic, wooden and Bamboo items, and well as pieces of fabric.

(a) View from the tunnel of the upper cave; (b) the shaft tunnel; (c) scattered skeletons in LG1R; (d) piled Human skulls in LG1R. Hongliang Lu & Ziyan Li in Lu et al. (2022).

The lower caves had a much denser layer of Human and Animal skeletal remains. One of the cave recesses contained a pile of skulls, which appeared to have come from 10-15 individuals, five of which could be observed to have suffered notable injuries, though it is unclear at this time whether these injuries happened before or after death. The lower caves were found to contain 218 observable Human bones and bone fragments, representing at least 26 individuals.

Selected artefacts from Sding Chung: (1) wooden cup; (2) bronze goblet; (3) ceramic shard; (4) textile; (5) fragments of Bamboo weaving; (6) wooden stick. Hailun Xu & Xuan Gao in Lu et al. (2022).

The majority of the Animal bones in the lower caves were skulls, which Hu et al. presume is the result of deliberate selection by the people who placed them there. Once again Caprids were the most common Animals, with Bovids, Equids, and Canids also present. Artefacts were much less common in the lower cave system, and mostly comprise fragments of wood, which Hu et al. speculate may represent fragments of coffins.

The relationship between the remains in the upper and lower caves is unclear. If they can be assumed to represent different sets of individuals, then the minimum total number of individuals present would be 60. However, if some individuals have contributed skeletal remains to both levels, then the minimum total number of individuals present is only 54. It is also quite possible that other remains are present but buried or covered by rock debris or sediment and have not yet been discovered, in which case it is quite possible the caves hold over a hundred sets of Human remains. The Animal remains appear to represent at least 350 individuals.

Hu et al. carried out a limited excavation within the upper part of the Sding Chung cave system, uncovering a 1 m x 1 m area in branch NG1, close to the entrance. This produced a cluster of Bamboo objects, beneath which was a 20 cm ash layer, within which were found numerous burnt Animal bones, two Human bones, one intact bronze goblet, one bamboo cup, several ceramic shards, some wooden sticks, and debris from metal artefacts.

Hu et al. took twelve samples for radiocarbon dating from Human and Animal bones, Bamboo and textiles, from three locations in the upper cave system and one in the lower caves. All of these yielded dates between 300 BC and 300 AD. 

A number of prehistoric burial sites have been found in the Western Himalayas in recent years, although the majority of those being artificial cave or shaft tombs located close to settlements. A notable exception to this has been the cave burials of Mustang District in Nepal. The Sding Chung burials are at a notably higher altitude than most previous burial sites, and appear to represent a previously unknown funerary tradition, possibly involving people living in lowlands but carrying their dead to a higher (and hidden) burial site.

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