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What term means the measure of energy released by an earthquake?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
The measure of energy released by an earthquake depends on its magnitude. If its a high magnitude earthquake, there is a lot of energy. If there is a low magnitude, then there is little energy.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoMagnitude scales are measurements of the amount of energy released by an earthquake. Perhaps the most famous is the Richter magnitude scale although this has since been replaced by the moment magnitude scale.
Please see the related questions for more information.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoA measure of the energy that an earthquake releases is its magnitude.
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∙ 12y agoMagnitude
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∙ 7y agoMagnitude
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How faults produce earthquakes?
Faults DO NOT produce earthquakes, faults are produced by earthquakes. This means that earthquake loci are centered on and along faults. The energy released by an earthquake is the stress energy built up as a result of plate tectonic forces.
What does it mean when the seismic waves are in a 5.5 magnitude earthquake?
It means that a certain amount of shaking occurs near the earthquake; or equivalently, that a certain amount of energy is released. For more details on how this magnitude is defined, check the Wikipedia article on "Richter magnitude scale".
How many times greater is released from a 6.5 magnitude earthquake from a 4.5 magnitude eathquake?
A hundred times greater. The "magnitudes" used here use a logarithmic scale; every increase by one magnitude means an increase of the amount of energy in the earthquake by a factor of 10 in this case.
What does ocean earthquake mean?
an earthquake is shaking or sometimes displacement of ground as a result of a sudden release of energy in the earths crust that created seismic waves.
What does a 1.0 increase on the Richter scale mean?
It means that the maximum amplitude of the seismic waves recorded is 10 times bigger for every 1.0 increase. This is equivalent to a 32 times increase in the amount of energy released by the earthquake.
Why not all movement along faults produce earthquakes?
Faults DO NOT produce earthquakes, faults are produced by earthquakes. This means that earthquake loci are centered on and along faults. The energy released by an earthquake is the strain energy built up as a result of plate tectonic forces. Some faults move easily and thus no strain energy builds up.
How faults produce earthquakes?
Faults DO NOT produce earthquakes, faults are produced by earthquakes. This means that earthquake loci are centered on and along faults. The energy released by an earthquake is the stress energy built up as a result of plate tectonic forces.
What does it mean when the seismic waves are in a 5.5 magnitude earthquake?
It means that a certain amount of shaking occurs near the earthquake; or equivalently, that a certain amount of energy is released. For more details on how this magnitude is defined, check the Wikipedia article on "Richter magnitude scale".
What kind of scale is the Richter scale based on?
The 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).
Does tectonic plate size effect earthquake magnitude?
Tectonic plate size does affect earthquake magnitude. Earthquakes happen when one plate slides above/below another plate, to do this it takes massive amounts of convection energy from the mantle to move the plate above. The larger the mass of the plate, the more energy is needed to move it which means that large plates have a lot of stored up energy in them before the quake in question. When the energy is released the plate boundary snaps releasing all the built up energy. As there was so much energy stored in the plate the more is released, causing a larger, more devastating earthquake.
What does the root word seismo mean?
The root word "seismo" comes from the Greek word "seismos," which means earthquake. It is commonly used in words related to seismic activity or vibrations in the earth's crust.
How many times greater is released from a 6.5 magnitude earthquake from a 4.5 magnitude eathquake?
A hundred times greater. The "magnitudes" used here use a logarithmic scale; every increase by one magnitude means an increase of the amount of energy in the earthquake by a factor of 10 in this case.
What does ocean earthquake mean?
an earthquake is shaking or sometimes displacement of ground as a result of a sudden release of energy in the earths crust that created seismic waves.
What is earthquake intensity?
Earthquake intensity is measured using the modified Mercalli scale or the macroseismic scale. Their values are derived based on eye witness accounts of the violence of the shaking of the ground, the damage done to buildings and other structures and based on ground surface accelerations measured by seismometers.
What does a 1.0 increase on the Richter scale mean?
It means that the maximum amplitude of the seismic waves recorded is 10 times bigger for every 1.0 increase. This is equivalent to a 32 times increase in the amount of energy released by the earthquake.
What does major earthquake mean?
It means that the earthquake is large and powerful.
What is the difference between the Mercalli scale the Richter scale and the magnitude scale?
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.
