EARTHQUAKE RECORDS AND MEASURING given point.

To record motion in all

INSTRUMENTS directions, three seismographs are
required. One seismograph is needed
SEISMOGRAM - a record written by a to measure vertical motion, and two
seismometer in response to ground motions to record horizontal motion. The
produced by an earthquake, explosion, or two seismographs recording
other ground-motion sources. horizontal directions, record in 90-
degree angles
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS :
Richter
• SEISMOMETER earthquake effects
magnitude
• SEISMOGRAPH less than
Generally not felt, but recorded.
3.5
• ACCELEROGRAPH Often felt, but rarely causes
3.5-5.4
damage.
• SEISMOSCOPE At most slight damage to well-
designed buildings. Can cause major
Under 6.0
SEISMOMETER -are instruments that measure damage to poorly constructed
motions of the ground, including those buildings over small regions.
of seismic waves generated Can be destructive in areas up to
by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and 6.1-6.9 about 100 kilometers across where
people live.
other seismic sources
Major earthquake. Can cause serious
7.0-7.9
SEISMOGRAPH -An instrument that measures damage over larger areas.
seismic waves caused by an earthquake. Great earthquake. Can cause serious
8 or
Generally, it consists of a mass attached damage in areas several hundred
greater
to a fixed base. During an earthquake, the kilometers across.
base moves and the mass does not. The
motion of the base with respect to the
mass is commonly transformed into an
Accelerograph - refers to an instrument
electrical voltage. The electrical voltage
used for recording acceleration of the
is recorded on paper, magnetic tape, or
ground during an earthquake. It is used to
another recording medium. This record is
monitor structures for earthquake
proportional to the motion of the
response. It is commonly called
seismometer mass relative to the earth,
accelerometer.
but it can be mathematically converted to
a record of the absolute motion of the Difference between Accelerograph and
ground. Seismograph:
accelerograph records ground acceleration
THREE MAIN DEVICES OF SEISMOGRAPH while seismograph records ground motion.

• Richter Magnitude Scale - A Accelerogram-graphic record in chart form,

mathematical formula used to measure produced by an accelerograph in response
the magnitude of an earthquake to seismic ground motions.

• Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale- Accelerograph maintenance

a seismic scale used for measuring
it is essential that the instrument be
the intensity of an earthquake
well protected from such environmental
conditions as flooding or excessive summer
• Moment-Magnitude Scale - Used temperatures and from tampering or
by seismologists to measure the size vandalism.
of earthquakes in terms of the
energy released. It is based on the
amount of displacement that occurred
along a fault zone rather than the
measurement of ground motion at a
Accelerograph Installation An earthquake would cause the stick to
topple over in the direction of the
The accelerograph should be firmly bolted seismic shock, triggering one of the
to concrete foundation. The accelerograph
dragons to open its mouth and release the
which is order of 20 x 20 x40 cm in size,
often can be conveniently installed in the bronze ball. The sound of the ball
corner of small structure, such as an striking the toad's mouth would alert
office, instrument room, or storage room. observers to the earthquake. This would
give a rough indication of the
3. SEISMOSCOPE earthquake's direction of origin, but it
did not provide any information about the
- an instrument that gives a qualitative intensity of the tremors.
measure of the oscillatory motion produced
by an earthquake or other disturbance of 4. EARTHQUAKE NETWORK (SEISMIC NETWORK)
the earth's surface. Unlike the
seismograph, it lacks a device to Seismic Network is a new earthquake
calibrate the time. monitoring system based on a dense array
of low-cost acceleration sensors.
History of Seismoscope
It is responsible for the
In 132 A.D., a Chinese inventor called operational guidance and management of the
Zhang Heng displayed his amazing national seismic network, short-term
earthquake-detection machine, or earthquake prediction, earthquake data
seismoscope, at the court of the Han collection, report processing, scientific
Dynasty. Zhang's seismoscope was a giant journal management, seismological
bronze vessel, resembling a samovar almost construction, technological research and
6 feet in diameter. Eight dragons snaked operations for emergency response .
face-down along the outside of the barrel,
marking the primary compass directions. In A primary goal of the system is to
each dragon's mouth was a small bronze produce block-by-block measurements of
ball. Beneath the dragons sat eight bronze strong shaking during an earthquake. Such
toads, with their broad mouths gaping to "shake maps" can then be used by first
receive the balls. responder agencies (e.g., fire department,
utilities) to prioritize dispatch to areas
How it works? of greatest likely damage. Effective
emergency response can occur despite
The instrument was said to damaged telephone services that prevent
resemble a wine jar of diameter six feet . civilian calls for help from succeeding.
On the outside of the vessel there were
eight dragon-heads, facing the eight PHIVOLCS Seismic Monitoring Network
principal directions of the compass. Below
each of the dragon-heads was a toad, with The Philippines has a total of 65
its mouth opened toward the dragon. The seismic stations, 29 of which are manned, 30
mouth of each dragon held a ball. At the are unmanned, and 6 volcano stations. The
occurrence of an earthquake, one of the central operating station is located at
eight dragon-mouths would release a ball PHIVOLCS Main Office, Diliman, Quezon City.
into the open mouth of the toad situated All information is received at the Data
below. The direction of the shaking Receiving Center (DRC), which is operated
determined which of the dragons released 24/7 by the Seismological Observation and
its ball. The instrument is reported to Prediction Division (SOEPD).
have detected a four-hundred-mile distant
earthquake which was not felt at the
location of the seismoscope. The
exact mechanism that caused a ball to drop
in the event of an earthquake is not
known. One theory is that a thin stick was
set loosely down the center of the barrel.