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The earth-shaking discovery of magnitude

Nature Physics volume 18, page 364 (2022)Cite this article

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The coexistence of qualitative and quantitative scales characterizes advances in earthquake measurements. Although often confused, intensity and magnitude refer to very different things, as Leonardo Benini explains.

As this demonstrates, estimating the intensity of an earthquake — the strength of the shaking at a certain location — is a delicate matter. Indeed, the visible effects of ground shaking can vary greatly even at small distances and depend on several local factors. In the case of the Marina District, an important aspect was the softness of the soil under the area, which acted as an amplifier for the ground motion. Observable effects, such as the damage to buildings and infrastructures or the degree of alarm perceived by animals, form the empirical backbone of seismic intensity scales. These have historically been the only way to categorize earthquakes until the development of magnitude scales, which provide a quantitative classification based on the recording of seismic waves on seismographs.

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  1. Associate Editor, Nature Physics https://www.nature.com/naturephysics

    Leonardo Benini

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  1. Leonardo Benini
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Correspondence to Leonardo Benini.

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Benini, L. The earth-shaking discovery of magnitude. Nat. Phys. 18, 364 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01546-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01546-7

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