Earthquake strikes Pakistan

A major Earthquake has struck South West Pakistan. At approximitly 1.30am local time a 7.2 magnitude quake with  epicenter located on the boarder with Afghanistan roughly 34 miles west of Dalbandin, a town sparsely populated in the Baluchistan.

Those who felt the quake believe it to have lasted between 20-30 seconds with some variation further or closer to the Epicentre. 

In this area it is quite common to have tremors. In 2005 a quake measuring 7.6 on the Richter magnitude scale killing  80,000 people. So far it is unknown if anyone has been killed. Pakistan authorities have issued a tsunami  caution as it is prominent as  the Indian subcontinent slams into Asia.

What causes an Earthquake?

Far below the grounds the Plates are constantly moving, thease are called Tectonic Plates. The movement of the Plates is known as continental drift. When plates colide they cause friction which sends shock waves up to the ground surface causing tremors. An earthquake which accur s under the sea floor is known as a Tsunami .

What is the Richter Scale?

It is a scale measuring seismic energy. It is calculated by the amplitude of  the largest displacement  from zero on a seismometer.  It ranges from 1-10+. The largest ever Earthquake was measured in Valdivia , China in 1960 where a quake of 9.5 was recorded