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Discover the Top 14 Unbelievable Fun Facts About the Nepal Earthquake!

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Get ready to shake up your knowledge with these fascinating tidbits about the Nepal earthquake – you'll be amazed at what you discover!

1. Mount Everest's Topsy-Turvy Tragedy

Mother Nature decided to shake things up with an extreme case of the "topsy-turvies" on Mount Everest in 2015: The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal resulted in a massive avalanche, causing the unfortunate demise of 19 climbers and a colossal dent in the country's tourism industry.
Source => britannica.com

2. Everest's Deadliest Comedy Club

In 2015, the ground shook and mountains quaked, but it was Mount Everest that stole the limelight – by playing deadlier than an amateur night in a high altitude comedy club: The Nepal earthquake triggered avalanches on Everest, causing the deadliest disaster with 24 casualties, and led to the first springtime in 41 years when no climbers reached the summit due to route closures and hazardous conditions.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

3. Earthquake vs. Everest: Round 1

Sometimes even the roof of the world can't handle the shake, rattle, and roll: The 2015 Nepal earthquake unleashed an avalanche on Mount Everest, massacring 19 climbers and marking the mountain's deadliest day.
Source => worldvision.org

4. Himalayan Hoedown: Plate Tango

When Mother Earth and her tectonic Tango partners decided to coordinate a Himalayan hoedown, the results were literally earth-shaking: The 2015 Nepal earthquake occurred due to the India and Eurasia plates converging at a rate of 2 inches per year, creating a relatively shallow quake with a depth of just 7 miles that ultimately contributed to its catastrophic effects. Surprisingly, though, this geologically active area has witnessed only four magnitude-6.0 or larger events within about 150 miles during the past century.
Source => usatoday.com

Geo-Science's Greatest "Tag" Game

5. Geo-Science's Greatest "Tag" Game

In a seismic game of "Tag, you're it!" where the Nepalese landscape played along, the 2015 Gorkha earthquake gave researchers quite the scientific shake-up: The Main Himalayan Thrust fault's peculiar rupture pattern led to revelations about the factors controlling maximum rupture and hints about the potential of future earthquake hazards in the region.
Source => earth.stanford.edu

6. International Earthquake Aid Party

When Uncle Sam, the Queen, and their global pals pitched in at party time: The Nepal earthquake saw a massive international response with the U.S. government pledging $10 million in aid, India sending 1,000 personnel, 13 aircrafts, and tons of supplies, the U.K. offering $7.6 million and disaster-response specialists, China providing a 62-member search-and-rescue team and $3.3 million, Israel contributing a 260-member team with 95 tons of aid, and Australia joining in too.
Source => time.com

7. Stupa-nade: Boudhanath's Comeback

When life gives you earthquakes, make stupa-nade: The Boudhanath stupa, a grandiose tourist magnet in Nepal, was severely wrecked by the 2015 earthquake, but has since been restored through an impressive $2 million worth of private donations and diligent volunteers, even including 31kg of gold coating its pinnacle - showing the Nepalese government how it's done in the heritage site restoration game.
Source => theguardian.com

8. Everest's Cold Shoulder Surprise

Mount Everest had a bit of a cold shoulder in 2015: An earthquake in Nepal triggered an avalanche on the mighty mountain, causing the deaths of 19 climbers and leaving hundreds stranded at base camp.
Source => worldvision.org

9. Moving Earth: Nepal Edition

You know how people say "talk about moving the earth"? Well, in Nepal, they actually did: The 2015 earthquake was a result of the Indian Plate slipping beneath the Eurasian Plate at a rate of 45 mm per year, leading to the deadliest Mount Everest avalanche on record, killing 22 people, and causing extensive damage across the country, rendering hundreds of thousands of Nepalese homeless.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Everest's Record-Breaking Tragedy

10. Everest's Record-Breaking Tragedy

When Mount Everest decided to give climbers the cold shoulder: The 2015 Nepal earthquake caused an avalanche on the colossal peak, leading to the tragic loss of 19 mountaineers and leaving hundreds stranded at base camp in the most deadly day Everest has ever seen.
Source => worldvision.org

11. Mt. Everest Limbo: Earthquake Edition

In a feat only Mother Nature could pull off, Mount Everest played "limbo" with a 7.8-magnitude earthquake and won: The behemoth of a quake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, didn't change Everest's towering height of 8,848 meters (29,029 feet). Though it caused an avalanche that killed 18 people, the mountain remained unshaken, largely due to its location outside the fault line and the shallow dip of the fault.
Source => theguardian.com

12. 55 Windows vs. Earthquake: Ultimate Standoff

In a stunning display of sheer architectural nerve, the 55 Window Palace in Nepal stood its ground against the 2015 earthquake like a stubborn child refusing to eat their vegetables: facing only minor interior damages, the palace continues to welcome visitors and photographers to admire its grandeur and resilience.
Source => tripadvisor.com

13. Seismic Job Shift in Nepal

In what may be a seismic shift in the job market: after the devastating Nepal earthquake of April 25, 2015, which measured a ground-shaking 7.8 on the Richter scale and claimed over 7,500 lives, Nepalese citizens faced increased risk of seeking employment abroad due to job scarcity and reliance on foreign remittances. Prior to the calamity, around 60% of Nepal's population, or about 2.5 million households, were already rolling in this remittance dough, with roughly a quarter of the nation working abroad at any given moment.
Source => dw.com

14. Chopper Heroes: Earthquake Rescue Squad

In a scene straight out of "Choppers Assemble!", a ragtag team of helicopters had to swoop in to save the day in earthquake-stricken Nepal: The Nepal Army had only nine functioning helicopters, with about 22 owned by private operators, which made it challenging to reach and rescue victims spread across remote villages after the devastating earthquake.
Source => nationalgeographic.com

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