Media advisory: Himalayan seismology expert can discuss latest earthquake in Nepal

LAWRENCE — Today, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal, with 42 deaths and 1,117 injuries initially reported. The temblor follows a larger quake April 25 that killed thousands of people.

Mike Taylor, associate professor of geology at the University of Kansas, is one of the world’s foremost experts in the seismology of the region. He recently identified and mapped a previously unknown and active fault line about 40 miles long in the high, western Himalayas in the journal Nature Geoscience.

“This 7.3 event occurred about 80 kilometers east-northeast of Katmandu, along a low angle fault plane consistent with a position at the main Himalayan thrust,” Taylor said. “This is the largest aftershock to occur 17 days after the main shock of the 7.8 event and forms an aftershock zone of about 175 kilometers in length. This event was widely felt across the area, including China, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India.” 

To schedule an interview with Taylor, contact Brendan M. Lynch at 785-864-8855 or brendan@ku.edu.