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What is the difference between the Mercalli scale the Richter scale and the magnitude scale?
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
In seismology (the study of seismic waves or vibrations in the ground / earthquakes) the Richter scale is a magnitude scale.
Magnitude scales show the amount of energy released by an earthquake. In the case of the Richter magnitude this is based on the amplitude of the seismic waves measured on a seismometer and the distance of the seismometer station from the epicentre of the earthquake. The magnitude value should be the same for a given earthquake no matter where it is recorded.
The Mercalli scale is an intensity scale. This gives information on the perceived ground shaking in a specific location. The value is derived from witness reports on the perceived violence of the shaking, from the damage done to buildings and other infrastructure and also based on measurements from accelerometers and other seismic recording instruments in order to make the Mercalli intensity value a less subjective parameter.
The intensity and damage to infrastructure can be influenced strongly by a number of variables including local ground conditions and the use (or otherwise) of earthquake resistant design.
Please see the related questions for more information.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe Richter scale measures the force of the earthquake (measured using a seismometer) It is a logarithmic scale (by increasing the number on the scale by one, the earthquake becomes 10 times more powerful, and goes from 0 upwards.
The Mercalli scale measures the amount of destruction caused, it is a qualitative scale, and goes from 1 (only read by instruments) to 12 (total destruction, 'cataclysmic)
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe Richter Scale—more appropriately called the magnitude scale—is one means of expressing the magnitude of an earthquake (i.e., the amount of energy released). And the amount of damage likely to be caused by an earthquake - or earthquake intensity - is measured on the Mercalli Scale.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThe Richter scale is a measure of the energy released during an earthquake through the use of a seismograph. The Mercalli scale, meanwhile, describes the intensity of an earthquake based on its observed effects,
Wiki User
∙ 12y agorichter measures the level of general impact for an earthquake, while mercalli measures the impact on society...
a strong earthquake in a non-poplulated area would have high richter value, but small mercalli, but in a large city, both richter and mercalli would be big
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago- Mercalli - measures the effects of an earthquake, the amount of damage done at a location
- Richter - measures the amplitude of the earthquake waves passing a location as the logarithm of the ratio of the amplitude of those seismic waves to an arbitrary minor amplitude
- moment magnitude - measures the energy released by the earthquake
Wiki User
∙ 12y agothe Richter scale measures the amount of energy released in am earthquake. The mercalli scale measures the effects of an earthquake
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago- uses seismic wave
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What is the relationship between earthquakes with magnitude on the Richter scale of 1.0 and 3.0?
the magnitude of 3.0 releases about 1000 times as much energy as an 1.0 magnitude
How much does the amplitude of the wave increase between an earthquake that measures 4.2 on the Richter scale and an earthquake that measures 6.2 on the Richter scale?
The energy released by an earthquake increases by 10x for every 1.0 increase in magnitude on the Richter scale. A 6.2 quake is 2.0 higher than a 4.2 quake. The increase in energy output would be calculated as such: 10x10=100. A 6.2 magnitude earthquake is 100 times more powerful than a 4.2 magnitude earthquake.
How much more energy does a Richter magnitude 6 release compared to a magnitude 3?
Every change of 1 on the Richter scale increases the amplitude of the measured seismic waves of the earthquake by a factor of 10 and the energy released scales with the shaking amplitude based on the following: Change in energy released = (10^Md)^(3/2) Where Md = difference in magnitude between two earthquakes (in the example above this is 3.0) Therefore a magnitude 6.0 earthquake releases (10^3.0)^(3/2) = 31,622 times more nergy than a magnitude 3.0 earthquake and has seismic waves with 1000 times larger amplitude.
What is the difference between amplitude and magnitude in seismology?
Ask Sheldon Cooper
What is the difference between 5.9 and 6.0 earthquake?
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is about 1.4 times stronger than a magnitude 5.9.
Difference between mercalli scale and Richter scale?
the mercalli scale uses roman numerals and measures how much damage there was in the earthquake. the richter scale uses a needle with ink and does sort of a line graph and measures the magnitude of an earthquake.
What is the difference between the Richter scale with the moment of magnitude scale?
well nothing. they are the same
Differentiate between magnitude and intensity?
The difference between magnitude and intensity is.... Intensity is the effects of the earth quake. aka: damage and devastation. Magnitude is the strength of the earth quake that is measured by the Richter Scale. (correct me if im wrong at all) :)
What is the relationship between earthquakes with magnitude on the Richter scale of 1.0 and 3.0?
the magnitude of 3.0 releases about 1000 times as much energy as an 1.0 magnitude
What is the difference between Richter magnitude and moment magnitude?
the moment magnitude scale is used to measure earthquake magnitude-taking into account the size of the fault rupture, the rocks stiffness,and the amount of the movement of the fault- using values that can be estimated from the size of several types of seismic waves. while a Richter scale is a numerical scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake, using values based on the size of the earthquakes largest seismic waves.
How much greater is a magnitude 8 earthquake than a magnitude 4 earthquake in amplitude?
The Richter magnitude scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale of the shaking amplitude. This means that a difference of 1 in the scale is equivalent to a 10-fold increase in amplitude. So the difference in amplitude between a mag 8 and a mag 4 earthquake is 104.
When referring to earthquakes what is the difference between the Magnitude scale and the Richter scale?
The Richter Scale is a Magnitude scale - it is used to calculate the magnitude of small and medium sized earthquakes (those with a magnitude less than 7). The other scales most commonly used for recording Earthquakes are the Moment Magnitude Scale and the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.The Intensity scale of the Earthquake measures the effect of the earthquake at a particular location. In general it is highest at the epicenter and gets lower as you go further. The value of intensity changes from place to place.The Moment Magnitude scale measures the actual amount of energy released during the Earthquake and is derived based on the rigidity / stiffness of the crust, the length of fault that slipped and it's cross sectional area.An Earthquake has only one value of magnitude, and it does not change from place to place. The scale is logarithmic.However the now outmoded Richter Scale used a different method of deriving the energy release based on the maximum amplitude of the seismic waves detected on seismometers. As such it was a measurement of the local magnitude (i.e. local to the seismometer) rather than the absolute magnitude of the earthquake.
What is the relationship between earthquakes with magnitudes on the Richter scale of 1.0 and 3.0?
the magnitude of 3.0 releases about 1000 times as much energy as an 1.0 magnitude
What is the difference Between a Richter magnitude 4.0 and 5.0 earthquake in terms of wave amplitude and energy released?
The Richter Scale is a logarithmic (base 10) scale, so each whole number increase (or decrease) is a tenfold change.A 5.0 quake is ten times as powerful as a 4.0.
What are similarities between Richter scale and Mercalli scale?
They are both scales that determine what damage earthquakes can produce, whether it's on the general impact of structures of buildings or the impact of damage on society.
What is the difference between ML and MN magnitudes?
ML magnitude stands for local magnitude. It was developed by Charles Richter, for use in california. However, it does not apply for north eastern america. Otto Nutti (I think thats how it's spelled) from america then created the MN magnitude, Magnitude Nutti, to use in eastern Canada. However, very small earthquakes sometimes defy both of these magnitude types.
What is the difference between pneumatic and electronics transmitter?
No difference only magnitude
