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The Richter scale measures the largest wiggle (amplitude) on the recording, but other magnitude scales measure different parts of the earthquake. The USGS currently reports earthquake magnitudes using the Moment Magnitude scale , though many other magnitudes are calculated for research and comparison purposes.
Apr 24, 2024 · To determine the intensity of an earthquake, reports are collected about what people felt and how much damage was done. The reports are then used to assign intensity ratings to regions where the earthquake was felt.
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Apr 24, 2024 · There are two main ways to measure earthquakes. The first of these is an estimate of the energy released, and the value is referred to as magnitude . This is the number that is typically used by the press when a big earthquake happens.
- Recording Seismic Waves Using A Seismograph
- Finding The Location of An Earthquake
- How Big Was It?
A seismometer is an instrument that detects seismic waves. An instrument that combines a seismometer with a device for recording the waves is called a seismograph. The graphical output from a seismograph is called a seismogram. Figure 9.10 (right) shows how a seismograph works. The instrument consists of a frame or housing that is firmly anchored t...
P-waves travel faster than S-waves. As the waves travel away from the location of an earthquake, the P-wave gets farther and father ahead of the S-wave. Therefore, the farther a seismograph is from the location of an earthquake, the longer the delay between when the P-wave arrival is recorded, and the S-wave arrival is recorded. The delay between t...
Earthquakes can be described in terms of their magnitude, which reflects the amount of energy released by the shaking. They can also be described in terms of intensity, which characterizes the impact of the shaking on people and their surroundings.
No matter what scale is used, quakes are detected using devices called seismographs, which measure ground motion and produce images showing how these vibrations travel over time.
Jan 11, 2021 · The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the largest jolt of energy released by an earthquake. The moment magnitude scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the total amount of energy released by an earthquake.
We need to measure all the energy in order to get an accurate measure of the size of the earthquake. To solve this problem, we need to integrate the full seismogram (sum up all the energy) and then match the Richter magnitude scale for moderate sized earthquakes.
