Table of Contents

Details of all major earthquake History in Nepal

Geographical situation of Nepal

Nepal is a mountainous country in the middle of the Great Himalayan range in South Asia. High mountains and hills cover more than two-thirds of its land. Earthquakes that have occurred at different times in Nepal’s history have caused considerable loss of life and property. So, here, we are talking about the Powerful & devastating earthquake history in Nepal.

Nepal in seismic zones of the earth

Nepal is also considered one of the most potent seismic zones in the world. Major earthquakes have been observed here from time to time. The main reason is the condition of the earth’s underground structure in this area.

The Indian tectonic plate under the Indian Peninsula is sliding beneath the Eurasian tectonic plate in the northern part of Nepal at the rate of 2 cm per year. Hence, the region has been scientifically confirmed as an earthquake-prone area.

As a result, Nepal has a history of earthquakes of large destructive magnitude every century and various small and medium earthquakes. Every century, there is a record of earthquakes of up to 8 Rector scale magnitude in Nepal.

Since the 20th century, nearly two dozen devastating earthquakes have been recorded, causing varying degrees of damage to the country. The epicenter of these earthquakes was in Nepal or neighboring countries.

Significant factors that increase the damage during earthquakes in Nepal

Generally, in a country like Nepal, an earthquake above the 5 Richter scale can be damaging because Nepal is a developing, hilly country.

Therefore, even a small earthquake could cause much damage to Nepal. If the soil or rocks of a mountain are shaken even a little, they can slip and result in a massive disaster.

Apart from this, the following elements play a major role in increasing the damage in Nepal:

First, most houses in rural areas are built without technical consultation or design. Also, many homes in remote areas of the mountains are made of mud and stone, which are easily damaged by earthquakes. This is one of the major causes of human casualties during earthquakes.

Secondly, it has been observed that earthquakes that occur at night or when people are sleeping cause more human damage. At that time, people could not run quickly to a safe place.

The third reason also depends on the nature of the earthquake’s epicenter. Such as how far below the ground the epicenter of the earthquake is and how raw or solid the nature of the surrounding land is. Like this, the structural condition of the land also plays a role in the damage because this condition is responsible for shaking, breaking, or collapsing the ground. In addition, two-thirds of Nepal is hilly, so earthshaking causes a land sliding event, too.

Records about major earthquakes history

Nepal has a long history of devastating earthquakes, as it is one of the most powerful seismic zones in the world. However, if we look at the history of earthquakes in Nepal, there is no factual record of earthquakes before 1255 AD.

The technology development at that time was not as advanced as today, when all earthquake events can be measured, and damage details can be easily collected. Therefore, based on various records, only earthquake events before this time are mentioned.

All Powerful Earthquake History in Nepal — “Collapsed buildings in earthquake-hit Chautara, Nepal” by DFID – UK Department for International Development is licensed under CC BY 2.0

List of all earthquake history in Nepal

This list is such a devastating and painful earthquake history in Nepal that caused damage to so much of the historical heritage of this country and the loss of many People’s lives.

1. Nepal Earthquake of 1255 AD

Earthquake Date: 1255/07/07
Epicenter: Nearby Kathmandu
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 7.8 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 2200 People with King Abhaya Malla (Nearly a third of the population of Kathmandu had died)
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

2. Nepal Earthquake of 1260 AD

Earthquake Date: 1260
Epicenter: Nearby Everest
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 7.1 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 100 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many residential buildings, monumental and architectural heritage.

3. Nepal Earthquake of 1344 AD

Earthquake Date: 1344
Epicenter: Mechi
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 7.9 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 100 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

4. Nepal Earthquake of 1408 AD

Earthquake Date: 1408, July
Epicenter: Nepal/Tibet Border
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 8.2 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 2500 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: The temple of Machhendranath and many other temples and houses were destroyed. The land also was split wide open somewhere.

5. Nepal Earthquake of 1505 AD

Earthquake Date: 1505/05/06
Epicenter: Mustang (Nepal/Tibet Border, immediate ‘Lo’ Kingdom)
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 8.9 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 6000 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

6. Nepal Earthquake of 1681 AD

Earthquake Date: 1681, January
Epicenter: North Of Koshi zone
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 8.0 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 4500 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

7. Nepal Earthquake of 1667 AD

Earthquake Date: 1667, July
Epicenter: North Of Kathmandu
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 7.9 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 4000 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

8. Nepal Earthquake of 1833 AD

Earthquake Date: 1833/08/26, 6:00 PM
Epicenter: Kathmandu, Bihar
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 8.0 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 6500 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: The famous Jagannath temple (100 Feet tall) was destroyed. The tower of Dharahara was severely damaged. About 18,000 structures were destroyed in the country.

9. Nepal Earthquake of 1869 AD

Earthquake Date: 1869/07/07
Epicenter: Nearby Kathmandu
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 6.5 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 750 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

10. Nepal Earthquake of 1916 AD

Earthquake Date: 1916/08/26, Am 6:39
Epicenter: Nepal/Tibet Border
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 7.7 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 3500 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

11. Nepal Earthquake of 1934 AD

Earthquake Date: 1934/01/15, PM 2:25 NST
Epicenter: 10 KM. South From Mount Everest
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 8.0 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 12000 People, including two of the then King’s daughters (10 and 8 years old)
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Badly affected Nepal-Bihar, India / Both the Famous Towers of Kathmandu, the Dharahara, and the Clock Tower fell into pieces. Many Infrastructures were destroyed all over Nepal / Total of 90 thousand houses were fully destroyed, and 120 thousand were partially damaged.

12. Nepal Earthquake of 1966 AD

Earthquake Date: 1966/06/27, AM 10:41 NST
Epicenter: Doti, Nepal
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 6.3 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 80 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

13. Nepal Earthquake of 1980 AD

Earthquake Date: 1980/07/29, PM 14:58 NST
Epicenter: Pithauragad, India (Western Nepal Border)
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 6.5 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 200 People
- Injured: 248 People
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

14. Nepal Earthquake of 1988 AD

Earthquake Date: 1988/08/20, AM 4:54 NST
Epicenter: Udaipur, Nepal
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 6.9 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 721 People
- Injured: 6553 People
Damage: 64174 private buildings, 468 public houses, 790 government buildings, etc.

15. Nepal Earthquake of 2011 AD

Earthquake Date: 2011/09/18, PM 18:25
Epicenter: Sikkim, India
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 6.9 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 6 People
- Injured: 30 People
Damage: As many as 12,301 people were reported to be displaced due to this earthquake in Nepal. Many more property and life losses occurred in Sikkim and Darjeeling, India.

16. Nepal Earthquake of 2015 AD

Earthquake Date: 2015/04/25, AM 11:56
Epicenter: Gorkha, Nepal
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 7.8 Richter scale
The main shock, 7.8 M. on April 25, 2015 (Gorkha District, Nepal, Epicenter)
- 1st major Aftershock, 6.7 M. on April 25, 2015 (Central Nepal Epicenter)
- 2nd major Aftershock, 6.9 M. on 26 April 2015 (Central Nepal Epicenter)
- 3rd major Aftershock, 7.3 M. on 12 May 2015 (Dolakha District, Nepal, Epicenter)
- More aftershocks: There were more than 300 aftershocks.
Casualty:
- Death: 8857 People
- Injured: 22,309 People
Damage / Losses:
- Over 600,000 structures in Kathmandu and other nearby towns were damaged or destroyed.
- Fourteen out of 75 districts in Nepal were declared a crisis-hit zone by the government immediately after the earthquake.
- Property Losses: $7 billion (USD; NPC, 2015)
- Affected 8 million people in 31 Districts.
- The earthquake displaced three million people.

17. Nepal Earthquake of 2022 AD

Earthquake Date: 2022/11/09, AM 02:12
Epicenter: Doti, Nepal
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 5.7 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 6 People
- Injured: N/A
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.

18. Nepal Earthquake of 2023 AD

Earthquake Date: 2023/11/03, PM 23:47
Epicenter: Jajarkot, Nepal
Magnitude Of Earthquake: 5.7 Richter scale
Casualty:
- Death: 157 People (Including Deputy Mayor)
- Injured: 366 People
Damage: Many Structures, houses, temples, etc.
This is the largest earthquake to impact Nepal after the 7.3M earthquake in 2015. It is the latest in a series of earthquakes to hit western Nepal in the past year; Jajarkot, Doti, Bajura, Bajhang, Darchula, Achham, and Dolpa have been among the districts in Nepal west affected by various earthquakes since November 2022