Nepal landslide, not earthquake, caused seismic event; US agency reports magnitude 5.2

A seismic event in Nepal, initially reported as a 4.4 magnitude earthquake, has been reclassified by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a landslide. The U.S. agency's analysis of seismic waves indicated that the energy release did not originate from tectonic plate movement.

The USGS updated the event to a magnitude 5.2, classifying it as a landslide. The origin was pinpointed approximately 55 kilometers northwest of Kodari, Nepal, a region near the border with China. Satellite imagery was used to help determine the event's location.

This reclassification comes as Nepal grapples with a devastating landslide disaster that has claimed over a hundred lives and left nearly a thousand people missing. The affected area, particularly the Rasuwa district in the Bagmati province bordering Tibet, has been severely impacted by the widespread flooding and mudslides.

The initial report from the USGS had placed the event further northwest of Kodari, at a depth of about 10 kilometers. The updated information provides a clearer understanding of the geological forces at play during this ongoing natural disaster.

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an additional analysis of the long-period seismic waves showed that the seismic energy was not produced by an earthquake.