Read more: "Instant Expert: Earthquakes"
Understanding the shaking caused by earthquakes is crucial if we are to prepare for these events – but the impact of an earthquake on people and cities depends on more than magnitude alone. The Earth's crust can amplify or dampen the severity of shaking
Seismic waves cause perceptible ground motion if they are strong enough. For seismic hazard assessment, the study of ground motion is where the rubber meets the road. If we understand the shaking, we can design structures and infrastructures to withstand it.
The severity of earthquake shaking is fundamentally controlled by three factors: earthquake magnitude, the attenuation of energy as waves move through the crust and the modification of shaking due to the local geological structure.
Bigger earthquakes generally create stronger shaking, but not all earthquakes of a given magnitude are created equal. Shaking can depend significantly on factors such as ...
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