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Why might a magnitude 7 earthquake have less intensity than a magnitude 6 earthquake?
There are many factors. One would be the distance a person is from the epicenter. A person who is further from a magnitude 7 earthquake would be less affected by the shockwaves than a person nearer to the epicenter of a magnitude 6 earthquake.
The place the person is in at the time of the earthquake also may affect the intensity of what he feels. If one is in a tall and stable building during an earthquake, he would not feel the vibrations as much as one standing on the streets.
The scale measuring the intensity of earthquakes should be considered too. A Mercalli Intensity Scale measuring magnitude 6 may possibly be more powerful than a Richter scale measuring a magnitude 7, as more damage is caused.
What else can I help you with?
Is the depth of focus an important factor in determining the intensity of an earthquake?
No, the depth of focus of an earthquake does not directly determine its intensity. The intensity of an earthquake is primarily influenced by the earthquake's magnitude and the distance between the epicenter and populated areas. The depth of focus mainly affects the distribution of seismic waves and can influence the shaking intensity experienced at the surface.
How is magnitude and intensity scale in earthquakes different?
Magnitude regards the size of the event of phenomena, whereas intensity refers to amounts over time. Intensity is akin to frequency. For example when measuring earthquakes, Richter scale gauges its force through magnitude, and its intensity is frequency of resonation felt.
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.
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 numerical scale expresses the magnitude of earthquakes?
The Richter Magnitude Scale often shortened to Richter scale represents a number to quantify the energy released during an earthquake on a logarithmic scale.Earthquakes with magnitude less than 2.0 are generally not felt by people but only registered by sensitive machines.Earthquakes at the 9.0 and greater range cause severe damage or collapse to all buildings in the area.
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.
Where will the intensity be highest if the magnitude with a 7.5 is in pangasinan?
The intensity will be highest in Pangasinan itself, as the location closest to the epicenter of the magnitude 7.5 earthquake will generally experience the strongest shaking. Areas farther away will feel less intensity.
What is used to find the intesity of earthquakes?
Earthquake intensity is measured on a scale called 'Mercalli Intensity Scale' or more recently 'Modified Mercalli Scale'. The scale quantifies the effects of an earthquake on the Earth's surface, humans, objects of nature, and man-made structures on a scale from I (not felt) to XII (total destruction). An earthquake is graded after collecting data from people who have experienced the earthquake and observing the destruction caused by the earthquake. People often confuse 'Intensity' of an earthquake with its 'magnitude.' An earthquake's magnitude is a measure of the energy released by an earthquake that propagates from it. It is measured by the Richter scale(formerly), or Moment Magnitude Scale. Information about the earthquake is put into an algorithm to assign the earthquake to a scale of 2 or less, to 10.0+ and anything in between. A magnitude of 2 or less is extremely weak, and may not have been felt at all. An earthquake with the magnitude of 10 is extremely massive and would cause mass destruction - there have not been any 10.0 earthquakes recorded yet. Magnitude and Intensity are correlated. Intensity depends on the magnitude, distance between focus and surface, and population density of the region etc. So, an earthquake with more magnitude will have more intensity, given all the conditions remain same. See the Related Links section below for the algorithm.
How is the intensity and magnitude of an earthquake measured?
Earthquakes are measure with a seismograph which indicates the intensity of earth crust´s movements this measurement is call Richter 1 being less intensity and 10 being major intensity.
Is the depth of focus an important factor in determining the intensity of an earthquake?
No, the depth of focus of an earthquake does not directly determine its intensity. The intensity of an earthquake is primarily influenced by the earthquake's magnitude and the distance between the epicenter and populated areas. The depth of focus mainly affects the distribution of seismic waves and can influence the shaking intensity experienced at the surface.
Will an earthquake get bigger if it is deeper?
No. Size does not necessarily affect the magnitude of an earthquake. In fact, a deep earthquake will have less of an effect on the surface than a shallow earthquake of the same magnitude.
Different shape intensity from magnitude of an earthquake movements?
There are two ways of describing an earthquake;by intensity and by magnitude. When we talk of intensity, we are referring to the effects and damage produced by the earthquake. It is determined by going to all the areas affected by the earthquake and observing the damage, as well as recording the experiences of the people there. The first intensity scale was developed by Giuseppe Mercalli in 1902. This has since been improved by the use of strong motion seismometers which are able to measure ground accelerations and so produce a less subjective assessment of intensity. The value of intensity can vary from place to place. In the US the intensity of an earthquake is measured using the Modified Mercalli scale and in Europe the Macroseismic scale is used (which appears to be an updated version of the original Mercalli intensity scale). Earthquake magnitude on the other hand is a single value (it should be the same no matter where it is measured) and is based on the amount of seismic energy produced by an earthquake. It can be estimated from the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by a seismometer (and requires scaling to account for the distance of the recording station from the earthquakes epicentre) or directly based on the cross sectional area of the fault which moved, the average displacement and the shear modulus of the rockmass. In the past the Richter magnitude scale was commonly used however seismologists now use the Moment magnitude scale. I hope it would help you :)
How is magnitude and intensity scale in earthquakes different?
Magnitude regards the size of the event of phenomena, whereas intensity refers to amounts over time. Intensity is akin to frequency. For example when measuring earthquakes, Richter scale gauges its force through magnitude, and its intensity is frequency of resonation felt.
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.
How powerful was the earthquake at Fukushima Daiichi?
The Tohoku Earthquake of March 11, 2011, had a magnitude at the epicenter of 9.0. At Fukushima Daiichi, the magnitude of the earthquake was a good deal lower because of the distance from the epicenter, and its magnitude is believed to have been somewhat less than 7.0. There are links below.
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 numerical scale expresses the magnitude of earthquakes?
The Richter Magnitude Scale often shortened to Richter scale represents a number to quantify the energy released during an earthquake on a logarithmic scale.Earthquakes with magnitude less than 2.0 are generally not felt by people but only registered by sensitive machines.Earthquakes at the 9.0 and greater range cause severe damage or collapse to all buildings in the area.
