'Great' earthquake, 1000 times stronger than recent ones likely to shatter Himalayan region

The entire Himalayan arc is poised to produce a sequence of great earthquakes, and the next big quake -- of the magnitude of 8 or above -- may occur during our lifetimes, according to a study reviewing geological, historical, and geophysical data.The human toll of such an event in the densely populated countries across the arc is likely to be unprecedented, the researchers said. The study notes that the sequence of future Himalayan earthquakes could be similar to the great earthquakes that occurred in the twentieth century along the Aleutian subduction zone, which extends from the Gulf of Alaska to Kamchatka in...