Transcript
How do we measure earthquakes?
How can we measure earthquakes?
• There are two ways of measuring earthquakes;
1. The Richter Scale 2. The Mercalli Scale
How do we measure earthquakes?
1. Richter Scale
• On the Richter Scale, magnitude is expressed in whole numbers and decimal fractions.
• Although the Richter Scale has no upper limit, the largest known shocks have had magnitudes in the 8.8 to 8.9 range.
• It is a logarithmic scale which means that a size ‘6’ on the Richter Scale is 10 times larger than a size ’5’ and 100 times larger than a size ‘4’.
• Measured using a seismograph or seismogram.
How do we measure earthquakes?
2. Mercalli Scale
• Based on the effects of an earthquake.
• The scale goes from 1to 12
How do we measure earthquakes?
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Earthquake recap: When will an earthquake cause the most
damage?
Powerful earthquake, causes a lot of damage
Weak earthquake,Doesn’t cause much damage
Distance from the epicentre
The state of preparation for an earthquake (country)
Population density
Type of land the area is built on
Time of the day
Time of the year
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