Two tectonic plates met beneath the Himalayas on a fault line. The Indian plate moved north towards the Eurasian plate which created the earthquake. The tectonic plates pushed together in order to create an earthquake.
Tectonic Plate movement
Tectonic plates sit on the lithosphere of the earth. Tectonic plates are always moving, very slowly. When two or more tectonic plates come together it creates an earthquake. There are three types of tectonic plate movements.
Divergent Plate A divergent plate is also known as a constructive boundary. It happens when two or more tectonic plates move apart from each other. When the plates move apart from each other either water or magma fills the space. If it is magma, when it has cooled it creates a new plate.
Convergent Plate A convergent plate is when two or more tectonic plates collide causing massive and destructive earth movements. This movement can create mountains (the Himalayas were formed because of this collision.) The Nepal earthquake was caused by this movement.
Transform Plate A transform plate is also known as a conservative plate and it is a fault zone. A transform plate movement happens when two plates slide past each other. Most transform faults are found in the ocean, some occur on land.