modified Mercalli intensity scale

seismic scale used for measuring the intensity and effects of an earthquake

AI overview

The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale is a system that measures how strongly an earthquake is felt and what damage it causes, rather than measuring the earthquake's energy itself. It matters because it helps scientists and emergency responders understand the real-world impact of earthquakes on buildings, infrastructure, and people in different locations.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: seismic scale
Named after: Giuseppe Mercalli

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different from: European Macroseismic Scale
Commons category: Mercalli scale

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Encyclopedic overview

Lisbon, Portugal, during the Great Lisbon earthquake in 1755 The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake.

Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or strength of an earthquake — an event occurring at greater or lesser depth. (The " Mw" scale is widely used.) The MMI scale measures intensity of shaking, at any particular location, on the surface. It was developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “modified Mercalli intensity scale” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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