Where did the change begin?
Labs / Geography
Earthquake Magnitude & Shaking
Slide the magnitude and watch the seismogram grow and the building sway. Then drag the seismograph station across the map to move it nearer or farther from the epicenter. The Richter scale is logarithmic, so each step up the scale is a giant leap in ground motion and released energy.
Labs / Geography / Earthquake Magnitude & Shaking
Earthquake Magnitude & Shaking
Slide the magnitude and watch the seismogram grow and the building sway. Then drag the seismograph station across the map to move it nearer or farther from the epicenter. The Richter scale is logarithmic, so each step up the scale is a giant leap in ground motion and released energy.
Why it matters
Why explore this?
Geography explains how places, people, and Earth systems affect one another. This model lets you change one factor and watch its effects spread across space.
Explore
Try the model
amp —energy —intensity —felt —
Investigate
Questions to test
Predict first, try it in the model, then use what you observe to answer.
What to try
- Step the magnitude from 5 to 6 to 7. The number grows by one each time — but how many times bigger does the released energy get?
- How far away can a magnitude 8 still topple the building, and how close must a magnitude 4 be to be felt at all?
- With the same magnitude and distance, does soft ground shake more or less than hard rock? Why might a city built on a river delta be at greater risk?
- How many tonnes of TNT does a “Great” quake release — and how does that compare to a “Moderate” one?
- Drag the station right to the epicenter. Is there any distance at which a magnitude 2 quake feels dangerous?
Explain
Make sense of what happened
Connect the pattern to place: identify where the change begins, where its effects appear, and which process links those locations.
Check
Before you leave
What spatial pattern appeared?
Which process connects the cause and effect?
If you can answer all three using evidence from the model, you understand the main idea. If not, return to Explore and change one setting at a time.