The current essay is a report on earthquakes using scientific terms from the course. First of all, moment magnitude or moment magnitude scale refers to the relative size of an earthquake. This term was introduced by seismologists Kanamori and Hanks in the 1970s (Rafferty, n. d.). Moment magnitude of an earthquake is tightly connected to its seismic moment. Secondly, the term intensity refers to an earthquake’s effect on the Earth. Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, or MMI, is a scale that measures the intensity of an earthquake. It is based on a scale, which was introduced by Giuseppe Mercalli, an Italian seismologist. It defines an earthquake by the scale from I to X, where I is an earthquake, which people were unable to feel, and X is an extreme case (even well-built buildings might be destroyed).
Thirdly, the epicenter of an earthquake is understood as a place on the Earth’s surface, located above the focus. It does not mean that an earthquake is the most severe in its epicenter. Fourthly, a hypocenter is the same as focus and means a place where an earthquake originates. Fifthly, scientists define three different types of faults, including normal, reverse, and transcurrent. Moreover, surface displacement or surface rupture is the Earth’s observable transformation after an earthquake occurred. Furthermore, seismologists try to predict the current risk probability of an earthquake around the world. It is well-known that it happens at the boundaries of several plates. Scientists warn governments on risk zones and suggest possible scenarios. Besides, it should be mentioned that new technologies allow seismologists to predict casualties of an earthquake. Casualties are those who died or got injured as a result of an earthquake.
Reference
Rafferty, John P. (n. d.). Moment magnitude. Britannica. Web.