Earthquake Tip Learning fetigs cial Blobs} rated [Teg Castel What are Magnitude and Inten Terminology ‘The point on the fault where slp starts ts the Farx or Hypocenter. and the point vertically above this on the surface of the Earth is the Epicontor (Figure 1). The depth of focus from the epicenter. called a: Foca! Dopt an important parmucter in determmning the a ee se ‘Moct af the damaging eardhquale: hare shallow focus with focal depths lez han about 7iln Distance fom epicenter to any point of ircerectic called aprcentral dictancs. Figure 1-Basic terminology A sumber of amuller size earthguake: take place ‘before and alter a big earthquake (ic. the Maw Shock) ‘Those cocuring before the big one ae called Foreshocks, and the one: after ase called 4forshocks Magnitude Magnitade is a quantitative measure of the actual sice of the earthquake, Professor Charles Richter noticed that (a) at the came distance, ceicmograms (cccords of earthquake ground vikeation) of Larger carthtabes have bagger wave amplitude than thove of smuller earthquakes: and (b) for 3 given exthquake, sesmoprame xt father distances have smaller wave aaplitede than those at doze distance: These Prompted him ts propoze the now commonly wed magnitude ceale, the Richter Soils. It iz obtained from the ceimnegrane and account: for the depadence of waveform amplited: on epicentral distmce This zeale i alee called Local Magninide zeale, There are other sugaitude sealer, Lie the Body Ware Meguitide, Surface Wince Magnitude and Wie Energy Magnitude. Thece numencal magnitude cealez have ne upper and lower limits: the masdhude of avery small exrthowabe canbe sero or even nesative An inereace in magniteds (M) by 10 implies 10 time: higher waveform amplitude and about 31 times ‘Righer energy released For instance, enemy releaced, ina M77 earthquake iz about 31 time: that releaced in 3 MS.7 earthquake, and ic about 1000 (231.51) timer Ghat releaced in 2 105-7 earthquake Moct of the energy Telesced goer alo heat and fracturing the rocks, and. only a small fraction of it (fortunately) goes into the seismic waves that travel to large distance: causing, chalang of the ground enroute and hence damuse (© shructuren (Did you Inow? The energy released by a ‘MMS.5 exsthquabe ts equivalent to that released by the 1845 Atom Bomb dropped on Hiroshima!) Earthquake: are offen clamified into different groups bared on ther sise (Table 1). Ammal average soumber of earthquake: across the Earth in each of thece groups is alco shown in the table: it indicates that onan average one Gract Earthquake occur: each year Table £: Global occurrence of em cat [fan teater 7 75 if = 1 = Fa enema aim feed PEGA aay, ME ER Saarce Hips wh w/a ass lata Mas Intensity Intensity i 2 qualiiatine meacure of the actual shaking 2t 2 location dusing an earthquake and i= zesigned 22 Rowan Capital Numorsle, There are many a oe eee eee oe Modifiad Mercalli Inionsity (MMI) Seals and the MSI See Bake wakes oc sede cartier aed ge Roe (east perceptive) to XI (mast cevere). The intensity ceales are baced on Goce feshure: of chalang perception by people and animals, performance of Building: and change: to natural nuvcunding:. Table 2 giver the deconption of intenaity Vil on MEK Seale. The distabuton of intmmty at diferent place: dunng an exthquile i: chown sraphiclly wins iseenemals, Imes joining place: with equal seismic intensity (Figure 2) Figure 2: isoseismal Map of the 2001 Bhuj (india) Earthquake (MSK Intensity) a sep aie BOR Hh isa id