Table of Contents
What are the factors affecting the intensity of an earthquake?
Some factors that affect intensity are the distance away from the epicenter, the depth of the earthquake, the population density of the area affected by the earthquake, the local geology of the are, the type of building construction in the area, and the duration of the shaking.
What are the two factors that you need to calculate the magnitude of an earthquake?
Scientists rate earthquakes on two common factors: magnitude, or the amount of seismic energy released; and intensity, or how the earthquake felt to humans and its effect on structures.
Does magnitude affect intensity of an earthquake?
When an earthquake occurs, its magnitude can be given a single numerical value on the Richter Magnitude Scale. However the intensity is variable over the area affected by the earthquake, with high intensities near the epicentre and lower values further away.
Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. Magnitude is determined from measurements on seismographs. Intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location. Intensity is determined from effects on people, human structures, and the natural environment.
What factors determine the magnitude of disaster?
The following section considers each of these issues.
- Poverty. Photo.
- Population growth. There is an obvious connection between the increase in losses from a disaster and the increase in population.
- Rapid urbanization.
- Transitions in cultural practices.
- Environmental degradation.
How do you find the magnitude of an earthquake intensity?
The Richter scale defines the magnitude of an earthquake to be R=log(IcIn) where Ic is the intensity of the earthquake and In is the intensity of a standard earthquake. Therefore, you can write the difference of two magnitudes as R2−R1=log(I2I1).
What is intensity of earthquakes?
The intensity is a number (written as a Roman numeral) describing the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effects on the earth’s surface and on humans and their structures. There are many intensities for an earthquake, depending on where you are, unlike the magnitude, which is one number for each earthquake.
What is the main difference between intensity and magnitude?
Magnitude is a measure of earthquake size and remains unchanged with distance from the earthquake. Intensity, however, describes the degree of shaking caused by an earthquake at a given place and decreases with distance from the earthquake epicentre.
How do you find the magnitude and intensity of an earthquake?
The Richter scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes, and the Mercalli scale measures their intensity. The violence of seismic shaking varies considerably over a single affected area.
What are the factors that determine the intensity of earthquakes?
Ma jor Factors that determine intensity in Earthquakes: Some factors that affect intensity are the distance away from the epicenter, the depth of the earthquake, the population density of the area affected by the earthquake, the local geology of the are, the type of building construction in the area, and the duration of the shaking.
How many magnitudes does an earthquake have?
An earthquake has one magnitude. The magnitude does not depend on where the measurement is made. Often, several slightly different magnitudes are reported for an earthquake.
How are earthquakes recorded?
Earthquakes are recorded by a seismographic network . Each seismic station in the network measures the movement of the ground at that site. The slip of one block of rock over another in an earthquake releases energy that makes the ground vibrate. That vibration pushes the adjoining piece of ground and causes it to vibrate, and thus the energy…
What is the difference between Mercalli scale and magnitude scale?
The Mercalli Scale is based on observable earthquake damage. From a scientific standpoint, the magnitude scale is based on seismic records while the Mercalli is based on observable data which can be subjective. Thus, the magnitude scale is considered scientifically more objective and therefore more accurate.