Nepal floods | What's the difference between a glacial collapse and an earthquake?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There have been dozens of questions since Wednesday’s devastating glacial collapse near the border between Nepal and China, which occurred at 8:37 a.m. local time (10:52 a.m. China Standard Time, which is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Saving Time).

Two of the big questions: what is a glacial collapse and how does this differ from an earthquake?

A glacial collapse is essentially the ice rapidly breaking apart, leading to ice and other debris to fall or slide downslope. This is similar to a landslide, which is movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope.

"The shaking caused by the landslide was equal to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake”, according to the USGS.