Weak damage potential

May 13, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:56 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram:

The tremors felt in Kochi on Tuesday were recorded by seismometers installed by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) at Chottupara, Pamba, and Vallakadavu.

The SEOC attributed a Mercalli intensity of 2 — indicating that the damage potential of the tremor experienced in Kochi was weak.

The Mercalli intensity is a seismic scale used to measure the intensity of a quake. It is based on the observed effects of an earthquake on the earth’s surface, humans, natural objects, and man-made structures on a scale from I (indicating not felt) to 12 (total destruction).

The Mercalli intensity is distinct from the magnitude which is a measure of the energy released at the epicentre.

“For Tuesday’s earthquake with epicentre in Nepal, we could not attribute any Richter Magnitude for the wave propagation in Kerala. Given the damage and feelings of quake we have attributed a Mercalli intensity of 2 in Kochi,” said Sekhar L. Kuriakose, Head, SEOC.

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