Strength of an earthquake

Magnitude vs Intensity
Seismologists use two fundamentally different measures to describe the size of an
earthquake

Magnitude- an estimate of the total amount of energy released at the source of an

earthquake
- determined from measurements on a seismograph
Intensity measure of the strength or degree of ground shaking produced by the
earthquake at a certain
location
- determined from damages on buildings and other structures, effects on
people and the natural environment

Richter Scale
- developed by Charles Richter in 1935.
-measures the magnitude of an earthquake by determining the logarithm of the
amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded by the seismograph
On the Richter Scale, magnitude is expressed in whole numbers and decimal fractions. A
tenfold increase in ground shaking corresponds to an increase of 1 on the magnitude scale.
Each whole number step in the magnitude scale corresponds to the release of about 31
times more energy than the amount associated with the preceding whole number value.

Earthquake- related hazards

- anything related with an earthquake that affects the normal activities of humans

Structural Damages
- refers to the damages made on the buildings structural support
Four main factors that causes structural damage:
1.) Wave amplitudes- the greater the amplitudes of the seismic waves, the
greater energy released by the earthquake hence the more damage they can
potentially cause.

2.) Duration of vibrations the length of shaking depends on how the fault
breaks during the earthquake. (eg. Loma Prieta earthquake lasted only 10
to 15 s but during other magnitude earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay
area, the shaking may last 30 to 40 s)

3.)Nature of material upon which the structure rests shaking can be

increased when the subsurface soil is soft
- structures having similar period of vibration with the material under it
will have increased damage
4.) Design of structure- buildings that are age- deteriorated, poorly
constructed, underlain by unstable soil are more prone to increased damage.

In general, structural damage from earthquakes is greatest in areas underlain by soft soils,
alluvium, or loose, water-saturated, unconsolidated soils, and least in areas underlain by
bedrock
Larger earthquakes and longer shaking durations tend to damage structures more.

References:

US Geological Survey. (n.d.). Earthquakes hazard program.

Retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/?
source=sitenav
(n.d.). Modified mercalli scale vs richter scale. [Web Graphic].
Retrieved from
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/80153368/Modified-MercalliScale-vs-Richter-Scale
Das, B. (2010). Geotechnical engineering handbook. Retrieved
from
http://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/engineering/Geotechnical_Ear
thquake_Engineering_Handbook/77824_04.pdf
Shedlock, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.accessscience.com/studycenter.aspx?
main=7&questionID=2641
Wilshire, H. (Photographer). (1989). Cypress structure. [Web
Photo]. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cypress_structure.jpeg