Rossi–Forel scale

The Rossi - Forel scale is a historical scale for the classification of earthquakes according to their intensity, which was published in 1881 and 1883 by Michele Stefano de Rossi and François- Alphonse Forel. After some progenitors in the 16th to 18th century and is the oldest of the common intensity scales and is still used today in Switzerland. In contrast to most other scales still in use today with 12 degrees of strength Rossi - Forel scale, which has 10 intensity levels.

In contrast to magnitude scales, such as the well-known Richter scale, an intensity scale describes those effects of an earthquake on landscape, roads or buildings that can be seen without instruments (macro- seismic ). Depending on local conditions, a single quake, which was classified according to such a scale, in different places have different strengths. Examples of other intensity scales are about the JMA scale, the European macroseismic scale ( EMS scale) or the Mercalliskala.