Nepal Quake Was Felt in the Upper Atmosphere, and That’s a Good Thing

Nepal Quake Was Felt in the Upper Atmosphere, and That’s a Good Thing
Residents look at a helicopter delivering aid in remote areas of quake-struck Nepal on May 1, 2015 in Kalchowk, Nepal. Omar Havana/Getty Images
|Updated:

About 21 minutes after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal on April 25, waves of energy penetrated the Earth’s upper atmosphere creating a disturbance, NASA discovered.

This observation could bring scientists closer to one day developing a system to predict earthquakes and other devastating natural disasters.

More specifically, the emitted energy disturbed electrons in the ionosphere—the layer of atmosphere located 37 to 621 miles (60–1,000 km) above the Earth’s surface—according to readings taken from a GPS station in Lhasa, Tibet, some 400 miles from the quake’s epicenter.

GPS data shows how the April 25, 2015, earthquake in Nepal disturbed the Earth's upper atmosphere. (NASA/JPL/Ionosphere Natural Hazards Team)
GPS data shows how the April 25, 2015, earthquake in Nepal disturbed the Earth's upper atmosphere. NASA/JPL/Ionosphere Natural Hazards Team
Cindy Drukier
Cindy Drukier
Author
Cindy Drukier is a veteran journalist, editor, and producer. She's the host of NTD's International Reporters Roundtable featured on EpochTV, and perviously host of NTD's The Nation Speaks. She's also an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her two films are available on EpochTV: "Finding Manny" and "The Unseen Crisis"
Related Topics