The Kingdom of Bhutan is located in the eastern Himalayas. The country underscores its geographic seclusion through self-imposed isolation: foreigners may only visit the country in limited numbers and under the guidance of a local travel agency. The purpose of these restrictions is to preserve traditions and cultural purity. A resulting side effect is that, compared to the surrounding areas, little is known about the character of the geological subsurface of Bhutan.
Bhutan is thus one of the few blind spots in the world where only scarce knowledge exists about the seismic hazard. This in spite of its location in the Himalayas, which grow approximately two to four centimeters per year due to the ongoing collision of two continental plates. In such areas, there is generally an increased seismic hazard. This is evidenced by a number of relatively strong earthquakes that have devastated large regions in the Himalayas. Western Nepal and Bhutan have proved to be exceptions to this over the past 120 years. This raises the question as to whether the seismic hazard in these areas is actually relatively low, or whether it has been unusually quiet during this period.