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Magnitude has replaced it, expressed as "a 4.0 magnitude earthquake." What are earthquake intensity scales? Earthquake intensity is a slightly different number that measures people's on-the-ground ...
All magnitude scales retain the logarithmic scale as devised by Charles Richter, and are adjusted so the mid-range approximately correlates with the original "Richter" scale. [8] Most magnitude scales are based on measurements of only part of an earthquake's seismic wave-train, and therefore are incomplete.
Seismic intensity scales categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) at a given location, such as resulting from an earthquake. They are distinguished from seismic magnitude scales , which measure the magnitude or overall strength of an earthquake, which may, or perhaps may not, cause perceptible shaking.
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake. Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or strength of an earthquake – an event occurring at greater or lesser depth. (The "M w" scale is ...
The Richter scale [1] (/ ˈ r ɪ k t ər /), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, [2] is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and presented in Richter's landmark 1935 paper, where he called it the "magnitude scale". [3]
The JMA intensity scale differs from magnitude measurements like the moment magnitude (Mw) and the earlier Richter scales, which represent how much energy an earthquake releases. Similar to the Mercalli scale , the JMA scale measures the intensities of ground shaking at various observation points within the affected area .
Unlike the Richter and moment magnitude scales, it is not a measure of the total energy (magnitude, or size) of an earthquake, but rather of how much the earth shakes at a given geographic point. The Mercalli intensity scale uses personal reports and observations to measure earthquake intensity but PGA is measured by instruments, such as ...
Despite the difference, news media often use the term "Richter scale" when referring to the moment magnitude scale. Moment magnitude (M w ) is considered the authoritative magnitude scale for ranking earthquakes by size. [2] It is more directly related to the energy of an earthquake than other scales, and does not saturate – that is, it does ...