Measuring the size of an earthquake
Earthquakes occur in a broad range of sizes. A rock burst in an Idaho silver mine may involve the fracture of 1 meter of rock; the 1965 Rat island earthquake in the Aleutian arc involved a 650-kilometer lenght of Earth's crust. Earthquakes can be even smaller and even larger. if an earthquake is felt or causes perceptible surface damage, then its intesnity of shaking can be subjectively estimated. But many large earthquakes occur in oceanic area or at great focal depths. These are either simply not felt or their felt pattern does not really indicate their true size.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 1977 |
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Title | Measuring the size of an earthquake |
Authors | W. Spence |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Earthquake Information Bulletin (USGS) |
Index ID | 70164465 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |