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Assuming all other properties are equal, the intensity of an earthquake is highest at it's epicentre and decreases with increasing distance from this point.

In reality however the Earth's surface and subsurface is highly heterogeneous (in other words it is very variable - there are lots of differing types of soils and rocks with varying strengths and other physical properties). The amplitude of seismic waves (how strongly they shake the surface) is in turn strongly affected by the type of material through which they travel. For example the amplitude of seismic waves will be much higher in soft sediments such as soils than in hard rock masses such as granites.

Because of this earthquake intensities may be highest in areas with "poor" ground conditions (such as the soft soils described above) even if they are a greater distance from the earthquake's epicentre.

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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 instrument measures the intensity of an earthquake?

Strong-motion seismometers (which are also known as Accelerographs) are used to measure the intensity of earthquakes. It should be noted that intensity is different from magnitude and is measured using a differing scale (Moddified Mercalli or Macroseismic scale for intensity vs Moment Magnitude scale for earthquake magnitudes.)Seismometers / accelerometers measure the intensity of earthquakes.Seismometers - instruments that measure motions of the ground.The visual output, either on a monitor or on paper is called a seismographSeismometers are in part used to measure the intensity of earthquakes. The scale used to measure earthquake intensity is known as the Modified Mercalli scale. A variation of this is used in Europe and is known as the Macroseismic scale.Earthquakes are measured with a seismometer.Seismometers and accelerometers are used to measure the acceleration of the ground surface and the total amplitude of seismic waves during an earthquake.These values are used by seismologists to find the intensity of the earthquake (along with observations of the damage done to structures).Earthquakes are measured using machines called SEISMOMETERS which record the shaking as waves on a graph .The magnitude of most earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, invented by Charles F. Richter in 1934. The Richter magnitude is calculated from the amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded for the earthquake, no matter what type of wave was the strongest.


Why might an earth quake have more than one intensity value?

Yes. The Mercalli intensity scale measures the effect of the earthquake on people and structures, and the intensity value will differ depending on how far you are from the epicenter. For instance, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake may be damaging (intensity VII) around the epicenter, but 300 miles away it may be barely felt (intensity II). The mercalli scale measures the intensity of an earthquake, where the Richter scale measures the magnitude. Also you have to consider where the earthquake occurred. you can have a 9.0 quake in the middle of the Australian outback but there is hardly anybody there so you would have a low mercalli scale reading. If you had that same quake in San Francisco then you are going to have a seriously high number on the mercalli scale


What is difference between candela and kelvin?

Candela measures luminous intensity, or brightness perceived by the human eye, and is used to quantify the amount of light emitted by a source in a particular direction. Kelvin measures color temperature, indicating the hue of light emitted by a source, with lower values representing warmer (yellowish) light and higher values representing cooler (bluish) light.


What do values on the Richter scale express?

The values on the Richter scale express the magnitude of an earthquake, which is a measure of the energy released at the earthquake's source. The scale is logarithmic, meaning that each whole number increase represents a tenfold increase in the amplitude of seismic waves and approximately 31 times more energy release.

Related Questions

Where are intensity values of an earthquake usually highest?

The epicenter


Where are intensity values of an earthquake usually hightset?

The epicenter


Why would an earthquake have several different intensity values?

well i think its based on a sacle from 1083 to 22222


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.


Where are intensity values of an earthquake usually higher?

Assuming all other properties are equal, the intensity of an earthquake is highest at it's epicentre and decreases with increasing distance from this point. In reality however the Earth's surface and subsurface is highly heterogeneous (in other words it is very variable - there are lots of differing types of soils and rocks with varying strengths and other physical properties). The amplitude of seismic waves (how strongly they shake the surface) is in turn strongly affected by the type of material through which they travel. For example the amplitude of seismic waves will be much higher in soft sediments such as soils than in hard rock masses such as granites. Because of this earthquake intensities may be highest in areas with "poor" ground conditions (such as the soft soils described above) even if they are a greater distance from the earthquake's epicentre.


Can you determine Mercalli values?

Mercalli values are determined by assessing the observed effects of an earthquake on people, buildings, and the environment. They are not directly calculated like seismic magnitude. Instead, Mercalli values are based on descriptive accounts and surveys to gauge the intensity of shaking at different locations.


What is intensity values?

Intensity values refer to the brightness or amplitude of a pixel in an image. These values typically range from 0 (black) to 255 (white) in grayscale images and can represent different colors in color images. High intensity values correspond to brighter pixels, while low intensity values represent darker pixels.


Is it possible for an earthquake to be off the scale?

Yes, it is possible for an earthquake to exceed the maximum intensity values on standard earthquake measurement scales like the Richter scale. In such cases, the magnitude may be estimated using other methods such as moment magnitude (Mw) or the earthquake may be classified as "great" or "major" based on its impact.


What describes the intensity of sound?

Sound intensity or acoustic intensity is defined as the sound per unit area. The usual context is the noise measurement of sound intensity in the air at a listener's location as a sound energy quantity.


What instrument is used to measure the intensity of a earth quake?

Earthquake intensity is recorded on the Modified Mercalli or the Macroseismic scale. These values are derived based on witness reports as to the perceived level of ground shaking as well as damage to buildings and other structures and ground accelerations as measured by seismometers.


How do you measure the damage caused by an earthquake?

Geologists and seismologists will usually describe the damage caused by an earthquake in terms of it's intensity. This is measured using the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. Mercalli values are derived from a number of sources including witness reports of the perceived ground shaking in their location, the damage to structures and also measurements of the ground accelerations from seismometers (included to attempt to reduce the subjectivity of the scale due to it's reliance on human witnesses).Earthquake damage may also be measured in terms of their monetary effect - i.e. the financial cost to replace or repair the damaged infrastructure. For example the February 2010 Chilean earthquake is estimated to have caused $30 billion of damage.


What instrument measures the intensity of an earthquake?

Strong-motion seismometers (which are also known as Accelerographs) are used to measure the intensity of earthquakes. It should be noted that intensity is different from magnitude and is measured using a differing scale (Moddified Mercalli or Macroseismic scale for intensity vs Moment Magnitude scale for earthquake magnitudes.)Seismometers / accelerometers measure the intensity of earthquakes.Seismometers - instruments that measure motions of the ground.The visual output, either on a monitor or on paper is called a seismographSeismometers are in part used to measure the intensity of earthquakes. The scale used to measure earthquake intensity is known as the Modified Mercalli scale. A variation of this is used in Europe and is known as the Macroseismic scale.Earthquakes are measured with a seismometer.Seismometers and accelerometers are used to measure the acceleration of the ground surface and the total amplitude of seismic waves during an earthquake.These values are used by seismologists to find the intensity of the earthquake (along with observations of the damage done to structures).Earthquakes are measured using machines called SEISMOMETERS which record the shaking as waves on a graph .The magnitude of most earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, invented by Charles F. Richter in 1934. The Richter magnitude is calculated from the amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded for the earthquake, no matter what type of wave was the strongest.