Notes 11 Earthquake Magnitude

Earthquake Strength & Intensity Magnitude.. The strength of an earthquake Depends on amount of crustal movement Depends on the depth below the surface Earth Quake Damage: The most damage from earthquakes… Earthquakes that have greater magnitudes Places that are close to the epicenter

Earthquake Strength & Intensity Richter Scale – measure of an earthquake's magnitude Uses a number value to represent size of seismic waves Each whole number= 10x change in strength No upper limit on the scale Doesn’t measure high magnitude earthquakes very well Doesn’t give a good indication of damage or danger

Richter Scale Each number represents a magnitude 10x greater than previous number.

Earthquake Strength & Intensity Mercalli Scale - rate earthquakes according to the level of damage at a given place Magnitude values range from I – XII Higher intensity= more damage

Mercalli Scale Rate earthquakes according to the level of damage at a given place. ( I – XII)

Seismograph A Seismograph detects and measures intensity of the earthquake A Record of an earthquake is a seismogram

Tsunamis – “Tidal Wave” Tsunami - a large water wave caused by an under sea earthquake. When an earthquake jolts the ocean floor, plate movement causes the ocean floor to rise slightly and push water out of its way. Tsunamis

That’s it !! Let’s go home….