Tides as Triggers of Earthquakes in Nepal

Seven of the strongest earthquakes over 6.3 magnitude in Nepal and adjacent areas, occurring over the past 81 years, have been investigated for their tidal origins. The study presents evidence that tidal forces, specifically lunisolar torque and other astronomical parameters, play a crucial role in triggering these seismic events. For instance, the earthquake in Nepal on January 15, 1934, could have been predicted due to extraordinary tidal parameters, such as a significant lunisolar torque of -1.07 × 10^22 Nm, and the alignment of the New Moon with the Sun and Moon at perigee. Additionally, the earthquake on April 25, 2015, was triggered by resonance with a prior event on January 5, 2015, coinciding with a local minimum in the Length of Day (LOD) near the winter solstice. These findings challenge the notion of earthquake unpredictability and support the hypothesis that a combination of astronomical factors can influence seismic activity.