Reduces towns to rubble
A pair of major earthquakes struck near two of the world's major fault lines early Wednesday, August 24, 2016, in regions that have long histories of devastating temblors.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake and a series of smaller subsequent quakes in central Italy killed dozens of people and collapsed many buildings overnight on Wednesday. Hours later and thousands of miles away, a separate magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in Myanmar.
The earthquake's epicenter was in Myanmar, but its effects were reportedly felt in nearby Indian cities, including Delhi, Patna, Guwahati and Dehradun. In addition to the tremors, power outages ensued in the Indian state of Assam, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, otherwise known as the United Kingdom's Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are visiting.
Italy lies near the fault line that exists between Eurasian and African tectonic plates. This area along the Apennine Mountains is “tectonically and geologically complex” according to the USGS, which notes “the Eurasia plate moves towards the northeast with respect to Africa at a rate of approximately 24 [millimeters per year].”
One hotel that collapsed in the small town of Amatrice, Italy probably had about 70 guests, and only seven bodies had so far been recovered, said the mayor of the town that was one of the worst hit by the quake.
Myanmar lies to the east of the Sunda Trench, another hot spot for quakes. In April 2016, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the country, causing two deaths and dozens more injuries.
Earthquakes happen when one of the plates that cover the Earth scrapes, bumps, or drags along another plate. Both Italy and Myanmar are situated near areas where plates come together, and each has seen major earthquakes in the past.
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