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What does it mean when the seismic waves are in a 5.5 magnitude earthquake?
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
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".
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
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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 it mean when a seismic wave goes through the earths center?
Seismic waves that can pass through the centre of the Earth must be capable of travelling through liquids (as the outer core is molten). As such we know that these waves are longitudinal or compression waves.
What does 7.6 on the Richter scale mean?
The numerical levels indicate the energy released by a particular quake. The Richter magnitude scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake and was originally developed to measure small magnitude earthquakes in southern California by Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg. It is a base-10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the combined horizontal amplitude of the largest displacement from zero on a seismometer output. This value is then scaled to account for the distance from the epicentre of the earthquake to the seismometer so as to allow the value to be correlated with the local magnitude readings from other seismometers in differing locations. The measurements produced in this system have no limits and can be either positive or negative.
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.
Is the process used by seismologists to locate earthquake epicenters perfect?
No, it is an imperfect process. Mainly because in order to locate the earthquake epicentre it is necessary to calculate the distance of the epicentre from the seismometer stations that recorded the seismic waves. To do this, it is necessary to know the velocity of the P and S seismic waves through the Earth's crust. This velocity is in turn dependent on the density and elastic moduli of the material that the seismic waves travel through. As the Earth is formed from a very wide variety of rocks that have different properties and have undergone differing levels of deformation as well as chemical and other physical changes, the relevant properties can be very variable. Because of this, seismologists cannot know the exact nature of all the material that the seismic waves must travel through and therefore have to create simplified models of the ground in order to estimate the seismic wave speed and in turn estimate the distance to the epicentre. This approximation and simplification will introduce an error into the result and this will mean that the position of the epicentre will be approximate. Normally the margin of error will be quoted along with the best estimate of the location. Please see the related questions for further information on seismic wave velocity and how seismologists estimate the location of an earthquake's epicentre.
The earthquake which struck Haiti was recorded as magnitude 7.0 what does this mean?
Magnitude is a term used to describe how much energy was released by an earthquake. It gives an indication of the amplitude of the seismic waves that occur and also on the length of the fault rupture zone and the displacement along the fault. A magnitude 7 earthquake is defined by the US Geological Survey as a "major" earthquake. In general earthquake over a magnitude of 4 or 5 can cause damage although the exact reasons why some earthquake are more damaging than others is more complext than just the absolute magnitdue of the earthquake. For more information on this, see the related question.
How much greater is a magnitude 7.0 earthquake than in comparison to a 6.0 earthquake?
My understanding of the magnitudes of earthquakes is that each decimal point is equal to a magnitude of strength 10x more than the previous number. Example would be that a 4.2 earthquake is 10x stronger than a 4.1 earthquake. Therefore, a magnitude 8.5 EQ is 100x stronger than a 7.5 EQ.
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 seismic mean?
(not seismic, seismic wave)Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the earth.
Why is a 6.0 magnitude earthquake so much more destructive than a 5.0 magnitude earthquake?
Because the "magnitude scale is not linear, it is logarithmic (its numbers are an order of magnitude apart) this mean that the a magnitude 6 earthquake is TEN TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 5 earthquake and a HUNDRED TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 4 earthquake.
Why is 6.0 magnitude earthquake so much more destructive than a 5.0 magnitude earthquake?
Because the "magnitude scale is not linear, it is logarithmic (its numbers are an order of magnitude apart) this mean that the a magnitude 6 earthquake is TEN TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 5 earthquake and a HUNDRED TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 4 earthquake.
Why is the intensity value of an earthquake more meaningful than magnitude to a nonscientist?
The strength (more correctly termed magnitude) of an earthquake is a measurement of the energy released when the earthquake occurs. The intensity however is derived based on the perceived level of ground shaking at a specific location and is a function of the amplitude of seismic waves at a given point and the damage they cause. The damage caused is in turn related to the local ground conditions and the specific construction techniques followed in the area. Therefore for earthquakes of equal magnitudes, the location of the earthquake's epicentre in relation to centres of population is important. A high magnitude earthquake that occurs far from a populated area will do less damage than an lower magnitude earthquake in very close proximity to a populated area. As such the earthquake would have a lower magnitude but a higher intensity. Secondly, ground motion and the amplitude of seismic waves is strongly dependent on the medium through which they travel. Seismic waves in hard rock masses (e.g. granite) have lower amplitudes than those that travel through soft ground such as sediments and so a building constructed and founded on hard rock is less likely to be damaged. As such a lower magnitude earthquake affecting structures founded on softer sediments may ultimately cause more damage than a higher magnitude earthquake affecting structures founded on hard rock. Again this would mean that in this specific case the earthquake of equal or lower magnitude would have a potentially greater effect on structures founded on soft soils and so the the intensity would be higher. For more information, please see the related question.
What is magaitude?
You might mean Magnitude magnitude is the measure of energy released in an earthquake. it doesnt change per area like intensity, an earthquake has one magnitude. It may be expressed using several magnitude scales. It is very unlikely that an earthquake of magnitude less than 5 could cause any damage.
What does seismic wave mean?
An elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means
What is crostal eartquik?
Do you mean 'What is crystal earthquake?' if so then read on: An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. Earthquakes are measured with a seismometer; a device which also records is known as a seismograph. The moment magnitude (or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude) of an earthquake is conventionally reported, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity. In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event - whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans - that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The term epicenter refers to the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.
What does it mean when a seismic wave goes through the earths center?
Seismic waves that can pass through the centre of the Earth must be capable of travelling through liquids (as the outer core is molten). As such we know that these waves are longitudinal or compression waves.
What does 7.6 on the Richter scale mean?
The numerical levels indicate the energy released by a particular quake. The Richter magnitude scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake and was originally developed to measure small magnitude earthquakes in southern California by Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg. It is a base-10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the combined horizontal amplitude of the largest displacement from zero on a seismometer output. This value is then scaled to account for the distance from the epicentre of the earthquake to the seismometer so as to allow the value to be correlated with the local magnitude readings from other seismometers in differing locations. The measurements produced in this system have no limits and can be either positive or negative.
