What is Magnitude and intensity of an earthquake?
Earthquakes are quantified either in terms of magnitude or intensity. The strength of an earthquake, or strain energy released by it is usually measured by a parameter called ?Magnitude? determined from the instrumental (Seismograph) records. Intensity of an earthquake is a subjective measure of the force of an earthquake at a particular place as determined by its effects on persons, structures and earth materials. The intensity at a point, depends not only upon the strength of the earthquake (i.e. magnitude) but also upon the distance from the earthquake to the point and the local geology at that point. While the intensity decreased with the distance from the epicenter, magnitude for an earthquake remains the same, irrespective of where it is measured.
