1. Earthquake Intensity and Magnitude
Mercalli Scale vs
Richter Scale

2. Richter Scale Created by Charles Richter in 1935.
Created to specifically measure EQ in Southern California.
Also referred to as Local Magnitude ML

3. Richter Scale Measures the magnitude of an earthquake
Strength
Measured using the height of the “wiggles” on a seismogram
Uses a logarithmic scale
A 6 releases 30 times more energy then a 5.
3.0 = 397 pounds of TNT
4.0 = 6 tons of TNT
An important number for scientist

4. Mercalli Scale Used to measure the intensity of a quake
How much damage it did
Measures the impact on people and the built environment
Based on eye witness reports and damage reports
Scale from I-XII