Measuring and Precting Earthquakes

Topic Page

Questions

• How much more powerful is a 7.0 earthquake than a 6.0?
• What is the Richter Scale?
• What are the three types of waves generate during an earthquake?
• What is the Mercalli scale?
• How is the amount of energy released during an earthquake measured?
• What is the largest earthquake ever recorded?
• How much more energy is released during a Magnitude 7 earthquake than a Magnitude 6?
• What instruments are used to measure the strength of earthquakes?
• Can scientists predict earthquakes? Why or why not?
• What tool do scientists use to measure earthquake?
• Why is it difficult for scientists to predict earthquakes?
• Assuming the waves travel in straight lines, how far away is the center of the earthquake?
• What is the history of the seismograph?
• What do the speeds of p-waves and s-waves help seismologists to determine?
• Is it correct that s-waves travel through solids and p-waves travel through liquids?
• How do P-waves and S-waves differ?
• Why do p-waves cause little if no damage at all in an earthquake?
• What is the formula for p- and s-waves in an earthquake?
• What can the time lag between the first arrival of the P-wave and first arrival of the S-wave be used to determine?
• Assuming typical speeds of 8.8 km/s and 5.4 km/s for P and S waves, respectively, how far away did an earthquake occur if a particular seismic station detects the arrival of these two types of waves 1.0 min apart?
• When was the biggest earthquake recorded in earth's history? Where was it? How strong was it?
• Question #64e44
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of these projections?
• Question #424ea
• What is the difference in intensity of an earthquake of 6.2 and 4.5?
• What is a seismograph?
• Question #41fa5
• How is the intensity of an earthquake with magnitude 8 not twice the intensity of an earthquake with magnitude 4?