This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
At least 150 people are dead and hundreds hurt after two strong earthquakes rattled southwest Pakistan this morning.
The first, a magnitude 6.4 quake, was centered 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Quetta at 4:09 this morning (7:09 P.M. Tuesday Eastern time), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A second magnitude 6.2 temblor struck in the same spot about 12 hours later, at 4:32 P.M. (7:32 A.M. ET), the agency reports.
"It was a shallow earthquake, which is very destructive," Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, the director general of Pakistan Meteorological Department, said of the first quake, according to The New York Times. "The aftershocks will be felt for a week with more or less the same intensity."
Pakistan is no stranger to earthquakes: More than 75,000 people died in October 2005 following a magnitude 7.8 quake in the country's north. Quetta was destroyed by a 1935 temblor that killed 30,000.
To learn more about earthquakes, check out our in-depth guide.
(Location of first October 29, 2008 earthquake in Pakistan/U.S. Geological Survey)
