Earthquakes intensity

The key to all this is that the scale of measurement of most (if not all) variables is arbitrary. Although we are most familiar with a linear scale of measurement, there is nothing which makes this the correct scale on its own, as opposed to a logarithmic scale [familiar logarithmic measurements are that of pH values, or earthquake intensity (Richter scale)]. Transforming a set of data (converting X to X ) is really as simple as changing a scale of measurement. 

Earthquake intensity is a qualitative or subjective measurement of the observed effects of an earthquake at a specific location. The scale used in the United States is known as the Modified Mercalli (MM) Intensity Scale. ... 

October 23rd, 1989 Pasadena, U.S.A Explosion of a cloud of isobutene, ethylene, hexane, hydrogen released during maintenance of a polyethylene reactor 23 killed, 314 injured Housing damage in a radius of 8 km Earthquake intensity equivalent to 2,4 t TNT, magnitude 3,5 Richter... 

September 21st, 2001 Toulouse, France Explosion of 20-100 t of rejects of ammonia nitrate 22 killed 8 killed, 2,450 injured, 26,000 houses damaged Earthquake intensity equivalent to 20-40 t TNT, magnitude 3,4 Richter, perceived up to a distance of 75 km... 

Considering the possible earthquake intensity, CEFR site is localed in the region of 7 degree, near 8 degree in standard 12 degree classification, the horizontal acceleration for safe operation SI will be 0.107 g on die base rock and for safe shutdown S2 will be 0.214 g. The analysed results to die both axial and peripheric stresses of the reactor vessel (main sodium tank) under these two circumstances that the maximum of peripheric stress at bottom supported is only half of that of top supported, and also we understand the bottom supported has been well realized in BN>600. These are the main reasons to make diis change. 

Xu, X.N., Wang, L.S., 2005. On the mechanism of slope deformation-failures and their distribution charater-istics in a high earthquake-intensity area. Journal of Engineering Geology, 13(l) 68-75. 

Basic type Subtype Geological conditions Earthquake intensity Other factors Disaster area... 

Li Lin, He Chuan, Geng Ping et al. Analysis of seismic dynamic responses of tunnel through fault zone in high earthquake intensity area. Journal of Chongqing University 35(6) 92-98. 

The loess covers an area of 635,300 km (6.63% of the total land area) in China (Yan et al., 2011), which mostly distributes in high earthquake intensity zones, so it is important to understand the dynamic response and earthquake-induced failure patterns of the loess slope. This kind of research, however, has mostly been done in China (Wang et al., 1999, Wang et al., 2001, Gu et al., 2009) and many problems of this field remain unsolved. 

The Environment as a Safety Factor and an Asset Worthy of Protection Table 7.IS Scales for measuring earthquake intensity [7-31] ... 

When the earthquake intensity is about 7.2 many buildings are bound to collapse. 

Table 10.1 The European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) of Earthquake Intensity. ...

Damage to Buildings Modeling, Table 7 Example of DPM, representing the probability of damage in percent by macroseismic earthquake intensity and damage states (Adapted from ATC-13 1987)... 

Griinthai G (2011) Earthquakes, Intensity. In Gupta H -(ed) Encyclopedia of solid earth geophysics. Springer, Berlin, pp 207-2018... 

The most common approach for the definition of the seismic input is the use of a design code response spectmm which is created for a certain return period of earthquake hazard. This is a general approach, which is easy to implement for conventional buildings. Moreover, if higher precision is required, the use of spectra derived from suitable earthquake records is more appropriate. Note that significant dispersion on the stmctural response due to the use of different records even scaled to the same earthquake intensity can be observed, since ground motions with equal peak ground acceleration (PGA) but different frequency content can have very different demands upon a stmcture. 

Damage probability matrices (DPMs) were first introduced by Whitman (1973) for multistory buildings in the aftermath of the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. An element in this matrix, Pr(DS,I), gives the probabihty of occurrence of a damage state (DS) under an earthquake intensity, I. The sum of any column in this matrix is equal to unity. Table 1 shows an example damage probability matrix. 

Earthquake intensity scales were introduced at the end of the nineteenth century (e.g., Rossi-Forel, Cancani, Mercalli) in order to characterize source parameters, damage distribution, and environmental impact of relevant seismic events. These intensity scales were based on a classification of earthquake effects on humans, on buildings, and on the natural environment... 

By contrast, historical earthquakes only can be explored by macroseismic analyses, and intensi is the only parameter that allows an estimate of the earthquake size to be made. Experience gained from the macroseismic analyses of instrumental events led to the development of empirical relationships in order to approximately estimate the moment magnitude (Mw) of historical events from earthquake intensity distribution. As a result, instrumental records are in the best case available from the first half of the twentieth century however, historical intensity analyses (extended in some regions back to the sixth to seventh century B.C.) are behind most of the seismic hazard analyses, seismic-building codes, and nuclear regulatory guides worldwide. Therefore, the use and refinement of intensity scales in earthquake analysis is stiU, and will continue to be, imperative to the society. 

Audemard and Michetti 2011). Moreover, the ESI-07 scale has been introduced to fiU the gaps of some modem macroseismic intensity scales, such as the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS-98 Grunthal 1998 Musson et al. 2010), which basically excludes EEEs from intensity assessment. Finally, the ESI-07 scale has also the objective of incorporating paleoseismic analysis into the macroseismic studies, extending the information on earthquake intensity data to a geologic time window in the order of some tens of kyrs. 

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