New satellite images shed light on the 7.8 magnitude Nepal earthquake

By Krystle Vermes May 7, 2015

new satellite images shed light on the 7 8 magnitude nepal earthquake earthquakeheader — NASA/Google Earth Blog

The world was shocked when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, and now, in the aftermath, researchers are moving forward to understand the inner workings of the disaster.

Scientists from NASA, the Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis project and the California Institute of Technology have analyzed interferometric synthetic aperture radar images of the earthquake location. Additionally, a new downloadable KMZ file is available for the public to view the region via Google Earth, according to GEarthBlog.com.

The map shows that the ground moved upward with the maximum movement point located slightly north of Kathmandu. The imagery is now available for free to emergency responders under a public license, courtesy of DigitalGlobe. Maps that depict damaged areas are also being provided to encourage volunteers to visit specific locations where help is needed.

The radar images analyzed by the scientists came from the PALSAR-2 instrument on the ALOS-2 satellite. The satellite, which is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, has the ability to calculate the deformation of the Earth’s surface from space.

Images show that the ground moved up by 4.6 feet around Kathmandu. This earthquake was the largest since the 1934 Nepal quake that had a magnitude of 8.0.

Google Earth is not the search engine giant’s only tool playing a role in the Nepal earthquake recovery efforts. Recently, Google announced that it would be opening its Person Finder tool to support rescue efforts, according to The Verge. The Person Finder tool is Google’s missing persons database, and it is open source. It was notably used after the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010.

In addition to providing valuable geologic information, Google Earth has provided more somber images in recent weeks as well. Satellite pictures from Google Earth that were released on April 28 showed sprawling tent cities across Kathmandu, according to The Huffington Post.

Editors' Recommendations

Google’s new wallpaper-friendly satellite images are simply stunning

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Krystle Vermes is a professional writer, blogger and podcaster with a background in both online and print journalism. Her…

Computing

Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain

Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Computing

I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Computing

How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams

Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.