How does depth affect an earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude 4. The circle sizes correspond to earthquake magnitude, ranging from 4. Skip to main content. Search Search. Natural Hazards. Apply Filter. What is a Geoid? Why do we use it and where does its shape come from? Contrast of the Geoid model with an Ellipsoid and cross-section of the Earth's surface.

Public domain. Seismometers, seismographs, seismograms - what's the difference? How do they work? A seismometer is the internal part of the seismograph , which may be a pendulum or a mass mounted on a spring; however, it is often used synonymously with "seismograph". Seismographs are instruments used to record the motion of the ground during an earthquake.

They are installed in the ground throughout the world and operated as part of a How can I make my own seismometer? It is relatively easy to acquire the necessary materials and build your own seismometer.

The links here are to various sources with information on how to build a seismometer. They range from very simple and inexpensive to sophisticated and pricey. What was the first instrument that actually recorded an earthquake? The earliest seismoscope was invented by the Chinese philosopher Chang Heng in A. This was a large urn on the outside of which were eight dragon heads facing the eight principal directions of the compass. Below each dragon head was a toad with its mouth opened toward the dragon.

When an earthquake occurred, one or more of the eight dragon What was the duration of the earthquake? Why don't you report the duration of each earthquake?

How does the duration affect the magnitude? The duration of an earthquake is related to its magnitude but not in a perfectly strict sense. There are two ways to think about the duration of an earthquake. The first is the length of time it takes for the fault to rupture and the second is the length of time shaking is felt at any given point e. How can an earthquake have a negative magnitude? Magnitude calculations are based on a logarithmic scale, so a ten-fold drop in amplitude decreases the magnitude by 1.

If an amplitude of 20 millimetres as measured on a seismic signal corresponds to a magnitude 2 earthquake, then: 10 times less 2 millimetres corresponds to a magnitude of 1; times less 0. How do seismologists locate an earthquake? When an earthquake occurs, one of the first questions is "where was it? Unfortunately, Earth is not transparent and we can't just see or photograph the earthquake disturbance like meteorologists can photograph clouds.

When an earthquake occurs, it How are earthquakes recorded? For general feedback, use the public comments section below please adhere to guidelines. Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose.

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Share Twit Share Email. Home Earth Earth Sciences. August 26, Military personnel clear debris at a temple that was damaged by a strong earthquake in Bagan, Myanmar, Thursday, Aug. Using brooms and their hands soldiers and residents of the ancient Myanmar city famous for it's historic Buddhist pagodas, began cleaning up the debris from a powerful earthquake that shook the region and damaged nearly temples Wednesday.

The magnitude 6 quake struck at a. Explore further. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Synthesizing nanomaterials from nature's blueprints 10 hours ago. Can we assume constant C14 to C12 ratio in living tissues? Sep 19, Volcanologists want to put sensors directly into an Underground Magma Chamber Sep 16, Geological Survey. The magnitude measurements also varied slightly — between magnitude 6 and 6.

By contrast, the 6. Shallow quakes generally tend to be more damaging than deeper quakes. Seismic waves from deep quakes have to travel farther to the surface, losing energy along the way. Most of the destruction in the Myanmar quake was centered in the tourist town of Bagan where nearly brick pagodas dating back centuries were damaged.