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Magnitude vs. Intensity of Earthquakes

The document discusses the difference between describing earthquakes by intensity versus magnitude, noting that intensity refers to the effects and damage while magnitude is a single value based on the seismic energy produced, with various scales discussed for each measurement.

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Claver G. Montes
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8 views1 page

Magnitude vs. Intensity of Earthquakes

The document discusses the difference between describing earthquakes by intensity versus magnitude, noting that intensity refers to the effects and damage while magnitude is a single value based on the seismic energy produced, with various scales discussed for each measurement.

Uploaded by

Claver G. Montes
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Answer:

 
There are two ways of describing an earthquake by intensity and by magnitude.

When we talk of intensity, we are referring to the effects and damage produced by the
earthquake. It is determined by going to all the areas affected by the earthquake and observing
the damage, as well as recording the experiences of the people there. The first intensity scale was
developed by Giuseppe Mercalli in 1902.

This has since been improved by the use of strong motion seismometers which are able to
measure ground accelerations and so produce a less subjective assessment of intensity. The value
of intensity can vary from place to place. In the US the intensity of an earthquake is measured
using the Modified Mercalli scale and in Europe the Macroseismic scale is used (which appears
to be an updated version of the original Mercalli intensity scale).

Earthquake magnitude on the other hand is a single value (it should be the same no matter where
it is measured) and is based on the amount of seismic energy produced by an earthquake. It can
be estimated from the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by a seismometer (and requires
scaling to account for the distance of the recording station from the earthquakes epicentre) or
directly based on the cross sectional area of the fault which moved, the average displacement and
the shear modulus of the rockmass. In the past the Richter magnitude scale was commonly used
however seismologists now use the Moment magnitude scale.
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