Pent-up energy of Himalayas was unleashed

The mighty Himalayas are the clearest sign that Nepal lies in one of the most dangerous earthquake zones on Earth.

The world’s highest mountain range marks a 2,400km-long region of geologic upheaval where two tectonic plates — massive sections of the Earth’s crust that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle — are pressing together, generating unimaginable forces.

David Rothery, professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, explained how without the buckling rock, Mount Everest and its companion mountains would not exist.