GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -It was replaced with the Moment Magnitude Scale, which records all the different seismic waves from an earthquake to seismographs across the world. Richter’s equations are still used for forecasting future earthquakes and calculating earthquake hazards.

Detailed explanation-2: -Although numerousintensity scales have been developed over the last several hundred years to evaluate the effects of earthquakes, the one currently used in the United States is the Modified Mercalli (MM) Intensity Scale.

Detailed explanation-3: -Richter Scale. While the Mercalli scale describes the intensity of an earthquake based on its observed effects, the Richter scale describes the earthquake’s magnitude by measuring the seismic waves that cause the earthquake. The two scales have different applications and measurement techniques.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Mercalli Scale is based on observable earthquake damage. From a scientific standpoint, the magnitude scale is based on seismic records while the Mercalli is based on observable data which can be subjective. Thus, the magnitude scale is considered scientifically more objective and therefore more accurate.

Detailed explanation-5: -Earthquake intensity scales such as the Modified Mercalli scale assess the effects on people and buildings. The relation between distance and damage from an earthquake seems obvious: the closer to the hypocenter/epicenter, the greater the damage, but this is not always the case.