The May 12 7.3 magnitude aftershock was one of many that followed the April 25 earthquake that shook Nepal. Why is this part of the world such a hotbed of tectonic activity?
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Summer reading, tectonic plates
Geography determines human activity, and not the other way around; that has been the theme of this course, and it holds true as we look at the devastating impacts of earthquakes in the nation of Nepal. Sitting right over one of the most active plate boundaries in the world, with the Indian subcontinent being violently forced under the rest of Asia, Nepal is therefore the home of both the infamous Himalayan Mountains and numerous earthquakes, varying in severity and frequency. As violent and as costly as they are, violent earthquakes are just another part of life in Nepal, as are other natural events in other parts of the globe, and the people who call it home adjust their lives accordingly, through a variety of means. However, nothing can prepare anyone for the extremes of earth's power, and the violent earthquake that shook the nation to its very core in May has left behind a great deal of human suffering and destruction. I hope that those who lost their homes and businesses are already well along on their path to recovery, although I don't think it's possible to every truly heal from such a traumatic experience, at least not completely.