WHAT ARE EARTHQUAKES?

An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane. The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the focus, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.

What measures the energy of an earthquake?

Intensity: The severity of earthquake shaking is assessed using a descriptive scale – the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale from 1 to 12. The intensity is variable over the area affected by the earthquake, with high intensities near the epicenter and lower values further away.

Magnitude: Earthquake size is a quantitative measure of the size of the earthquake at its source. The Richter Magnitude Scale measures the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. When an earthquake occurs, its magnitude can be given a single numerical value on a factor of 10.