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The Modified Mercalli intensity scale ranges from 1 to 12 (I - XII), with XII being described as cataclysmic.

This leads to total destruction of nearly all structures. The ground surface will potentially have permanently changed level by several metres. The ground's surface moves with visible waves or ripples while the earthquake is occurring.

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What is the highest ranked magnitude of an earthquake in the US?

There was a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1964.


What area would be the safest during an earthquake?

the safest place during an earthquake is probably in the highest place you can be


Has there ever been a 12.5 earthquake?

Earthquake magnitudes are typically whole numbers, measured on the Richter scale. A magnitude of 12.5 would be unprecedented and beyond the highest levels recorded by seismologists. The strongest recorded earthquake, the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, had a magnitude of 9.5.


What is the highest earthquake number in LA?

The largest recorded earthquakes in US are listed at this website: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/10_largest_us.php. None of the ones listed on that list were in LA, but the Tejon earthquake, which was 7.9, was not too far away from LA. According to this website, the 1994 Northridge earthquake was the largest one (on the timeline) to hit Los Angeles. http://www.google.com/search?q=los+angeles+earthquake+history&hl=en&tbs=tl:1&tbo=1&ei=mVoTSsDaEYyq8gSs_Mz_Aw&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=13 The Northridge earthquake was a 6.7 magnitude earthquake with high ground intensity. http://www.data.scec.org/chrono_index/northreq.html The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 was a 6.4 magnitude earthquake.


What is the strongest point of the earthquake?

The strongest point of an earthquake is referred to as the earthquake's epicenter. This is the point on the Earth's surface directly above where the earthquake originates, known as the hypocenter. The magnitude of the earthquake is typically highest at the epicenter.

Related Questions

What is the highest rating on the Mercalli scale and what are the symptoms of an earthquake of this magnitude?

Maby you should find the answer on anothr website.


What is the highest intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale?

11


What is the highest intensity level on the modified mercalli intensity scale?

11


Is it true that an intensity- XII earthquake would cause a little destruction?

No, this earthquake is rated highest on the mercalli scale and thus would cause huge amounts of destruction


How does the modified mercalli scale earthquake intensity?

The Modified Mercalli scale assigns a value to an earthquake from I to XII depending on it's intensity, with I being the lowest (only recorded by seismometers, not felt by humans) and XII being the highest (representing total destruction of all buildings). 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).


Where are intensity values of an earthquake usually highest?

The epicenter


Where did the Haitian earthquake hit the hardest?

The US Geological Survey provide a contour map of earthquake intensity for the earthquake that occurred on the 12th of January, 2010. This indicates that the highest intensity (perceived shaking) with a level of 10 (X) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale occurred in Grand Goave (population 5000). The Haitian capital Port-au-Prince suffered an intensity 9 event. The scale indicates that at this intensity structures will suffer heavy to very heavy damage. Please see the related links and question.


The epicenter of an earthquake is the point on the earth's surface?

The intensity of an earthquake measures the effect of an earthquake


What is the rossi-forel intensity scale?

an arbitrary numerical scale of intensity of seismic disturbances ranging from one for a barely perceptible tremor to 10 for an earthquake of the highest intensityThe Rossi-Forel scale was one of the first seismic scales to reflect earthquake intensities. Developed by Michele Stefano Conte de Rossiof Italy and François-Alphonse Forel of Switzerland in the late 19th century, it was used for about two decades until the introduction of the Mercalli intensity scale in 1902.


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


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 a scale that rates an earthquake?

The highest intensity rating is 12 on the Modified Mercalli scale. There is no upper limit for magnitude scales (such as the Moment and Richter magnitude scales) although in practical terms no earthquake larger than magnitude 9.5 has ever been recorded by humans.