How do you measure earthquakes?

Answer 1

There are two main ways to measure earthquakes. One is the Richter scale, which directly measures the energy released by the earthquakes. It's logarithmic, with each increasing order of magnitude being several times larger than the previous one. Seismographs are used for these measurements. Another way of measuring the physical impact of an Earthquake is the Mercalli scale, which is based on damage and other changes to the surrounding environment. They both have their uses and are very effective.

Answer 2

Seismic waves from earthquakes are measured using seismometers (also known as seismographs). Based on the amplitude of the seismic waves and an estimate of the distance to the earthquakes epicentre, seismologists can make an estimate of the earthquakes magnitude (which is the amount of energy released by an earthquake).

They can also estimate the earthquakes intensity (how strong the ground shaking was) based on reports of eye witnesses, the damage to buildings and other structures and from the ground accelerations detected by seismometers.

Earthquake magnitudes are measured using seismometers or a Richter scale or the Mercalli scale.

Earthquakes are measured using the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS).