Seismic moment

The seismic moment is - as the seismic energy or magnitude - a measure of the strength of an earthquake.

It is calculated from

In which

  • The shear modulus of the rock along the fracture surface (usually 30 gigapascals )
  • The area of ​​the fracture surface
  • The average displacement along the fracture surface A is.

For historical earthquakes, the seismic moment from geological estimates of the fracture surface and the displacement can be calculated, estimates are for today's earthquake calculated from the seismograms within a short time.

The seismic moment is the basis of moment magnitude scale, the usual today in seismology measure of the strength of an earthquake.

  • Earthquake
  • Seismic
721662
de