Tibet experienced a moderate earthquake of magnitude 4.3 on Tuesday, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). The tremor occurred at 07:34 AM IST at a depth of 180 km, with its epicenter located at latitude 30.06°N and longitude 84.41°E. This comes just two days after a smaller earthquake of magnitude 3.4 was recorded in Tibet on August 24 at a depth of 98 km.

The Tibetan Plateau, one of the most seismically active regions in the world, owes its instability to the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This tectonic activity not only causes frequent earthquakes but also contributes to the uplift of the Himalayas. The plateau’s geological structure is characterized by strike-slip and normal faulting, with significant fault lines running east-west and north-south.

In northern Tibet, strike-slip faulting dominates, while in the south, east-west extension along normal faults is common. Seven major north-south trending rift zones were identified in southern Tibet during the late 1970s and early 1980s, formed during tectonic extension that began 4 to 8 million years ago. Historically, the region has experienced powerful quakes, with magnitudes as high as 8.0 along strike-slip faults, while normal faulting events are generally smaller. For instance, in 2008, five normal faulting earthquakes ranging from 5.9 to 7.1 magnitude occurred across the plateau.