What is good about the modified Mercalli scale?

In New Zealand, where earthquakes occur from near the surface right down to a depth of over 600 km, the Modified Mercalli intensity scale is a better indicator of an earthquake’s effects on people and their environment.

What is good about the modified Mercalli scale measure?

It measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location, distinguished from the earthquake’s inherent force or strength as measured by seismic magnitude scales (such as the “M_w” magnitude usually reported for an earthquake).

Is the Mercalli scale good?

When there is little damage, the scale describes how people felt the earthquake, or how many people felt it. Very often, non-geologists use this scale, because it is easier for people to describe what damage an earthquake caused, than to do calculations to get a value on the Richter scale.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Mercalli scale?

The Mercalli scale is not as useful for measuring earthquakes, especially in uninhabited areas where the destruction and its strength is not apparent. The scale is considered less scientific because it relies on eyewitness accounts of the loss and destruction caused by the quake.

Why is the Mercalli scale important?

Once they have a good idea of the range of damage, they use the Mercalli criteria to decide on an appropriate rating. The Mercalli Intensity Scale measures the intensity of an earthquake by observing its effect on people, the environment and the earth’s surface.

What does the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale Tell us about an earthquake quizlet?

What does the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale tell us about an earthquake? The Modified Mercalli Intensity scale uses California buildings as its standard to evaluate earthquakes intensity based on the amount of damage to various structures.

Is the Mercalli and Richter scale better?

The Mercalli scale is linear and the Richter scale is logarithmic. i.e. a magnitude 5 earthquake is ten times as intense as a magnitude 4 earthquake.
Mercalli Scale vs. Richter Scale.

Why is a Modified Mercalli Scale better than a Richter scale?

The main difference between Richter Scale and Mercalli Scale is that the Mercalli scale characterizes an earthquake’s intensity based on its observed consequences, whereas the Richter scale describes the size of an earthquake by measuring the seismic waves that create it.

What is the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale based on?

observed effects

This scale, composed of increasing levels of intensity that range from imperceptible shaking to catastrophic destruction, is designated by Roman numerals. It does not have a mathematical basis; instead it is an arbitrary ranking based on observed effects.