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Earthquake Magnitudes
Different ways to gauge the size of earthquakes.
Earthquake Magnitudes
Measuring the big ones with the Richter scale and its relatives.
Earthquake Intensities
Intensity scales measure how bad a quake is, on a scale from I to XII.
Strange Seismometers
A seismometer can be as simple as a rock just standing there or as unexpected as soup cans on the grocer's shelves.
Did You Feel It?
Gauging earthquakes on the Web with the Community Internet Intensity scale.
Earthquake Intensity Scales Compared
Mercalli, Rossi-Forel, Omori, and European Macroseismic scales put side by side.
Mercalli Earthquake Intensity Scale
The modified Mercalli intensity scale rates the impact of quakes from I to XII.
European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) of Earthquake Intensity
The best intensity scale for scientific and planning purposes, used throughout Europe.
MSK Seismic Intensity Scale
This scale, once widely used in Europe and India, was superseded by the EMS scale.
Japanese Intensity Scale of 1996
The modern version of the Japanese scale is based on instrumentally recorded accelerations and changes the traditional seven categories to ten. This page is from the Japanese Meteorological Agency.
Japanese Intensity Scale of 1949
The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) 1949 Seismic Intensity Scale was the successor to the Omori scale, used until 1996. This page is from the Japanese government.
Omori Scale of Earthquake Intensity
The original earthquake intensity scale for Japan, now superseded by the JMA scale.