Fault, Focus and Epicenter, Magnitude & Intensity Magnitude is a fixed value independent of distance from the

A fault is a break or fracture in the ground that occurs epicenter of the earthquake, whereas intensity varies and is
when the Earth’s tectonic plates move or shift. These are also measured differently at different places depending upon its
areas where earthquakes are likely to occur. An active fault is distance from the epicenter.
likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in
the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if Fault is a fracture in the Earth’s crust where one side moves
there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic relative to the other. Movement of the fault causes a release in
activity during the last 10,000 years. Inactive faults do not show energy. As the energy passes through an area, the vibration is
signs of ever having generated an earthquake in last 10,000 felt. The energy is transferred through the Earth and man-made
years, but may possibly still generate an earthquake in the structures.
future.
Active faults are structure along which we expect displacement
An earthquake takes place when two crustal plates of to occur. Since a shallow earthquake is a process that produces
the Earth suddenly slip past on another. The surface where they displacement across a fault, all shallow earthquakes occur on
slip is called the fault plane. The place in the Earth’s crust active faults. An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the
where the sudden dislocations of rocks occur is called the focus source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Faults are
of an earthquake. It can be situated at the depth varying considered active if there has been movement observed during
kilometers to several hundred kilometers. On the other hand, the last 10,000 years. Active faulting is a geologic hazard, one
the place in the surface directly above the focus is referred to as related to earthquakes as a cause.
the epicenter.
Inactive faults do not show signs of ever having generated an
The energy released during the dislocation is earthquake in last 10,000 years but may possibly still generate
transferred through the crust and at the surface in the form of an earthquake in the future.
vibration and is referred to as seismic waves. It is the seismic
shock waves that is felt as the Earth trembles which is most The focus is point inside the Earth where the earthquake
intense at the epicenter. started, also called the hypocenter, and the point on the
surface of the Earth directly above the focus is called the
An earthquake’s focus is also called the hypocenter. It is in the epicenter. The waves are felt most strongly at the epicenter,
hypocenters or foci that the waves of the earthquake originate. becoming less strong as they travel further away. The most
They are described in three different levels: Shallow (10-100 severe damage caused by an earthquake will happen close to
km. below), Intermediate (70-300 km.), and Deep the epicenter.
(300 km or deeper). When the focus is shallow, the magnitude
of the earthquake registered at the epicenter is higher than By locating the epicenter of the earthquake, seismologists can
when the focus is deep. determine its origin. Earthquakes are recorded by instruments
called seismographs. The recording they make is called a
Magnitude is proportional to the energy released by an seismogram. The seismogram recordings made on the
earthquake at the focus. It is calculated from earthquakes seismographs are utilized in locating the epicenter through
recorded by an instrument called seismograph. It is represented three seismic stations.
by Arabic Numbers (e.g. 4.8, 9.0). The first widely- used
method, the Richter scale, was developed by Charles F. The origin of the earthquake is determined by studying focus
Richter in 1943. whereas epicenter gives information about the extent of
damage since distance from the epicenter is one factor that
Intensity on the other hand is the strength of an earthquake as contributes to the destructiveness of an earthquake. In simpler
perceived and felt by people in a certain locality. It is a terms, “epicenter” and “focus” are both determinants of the
numerical rating based on the relative effects to people, objects, origin of the ground movements.
environment and structures in the surrounding. The intensity is
generally higher near the epicenter. It is represented by Roman The epicenter, nonetheless, is located on the Earth’s surface
Numerals (e.g. II, IV, IX). In the Philippines, the intensity of an while the focus is way beneath the ground. It is because of the
earthquake is determined using the PHIVOLCS Earthquake difference in location that seismologists find it easier to first
Intensity Scale (PEIS). Another way to measure the strength of locate the epicenter for them to detect the focus. In terms of
an earthquake is to use the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. determining the cause of the earthquake, however,
This was developed from the intensity scale of Giuseppe seismologists start first with the study of the focus.
Mercalli. This uses the observations of the people who
experienced the earthquake to estimate its intensity. SUMMARIZING

 🌏 Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic

Magnitude and intensity measure different characteristics of plates and the release of energy along fault lines.
earthquakes. Magnitude measures the energy released at the
source of the earthquake. Intensity measures the strength of
shaking produced by the earthquake at certain location.
 📐 Faults are categorized into three types based on -The focus of an earthquake is the zone within the Earth
plate movement: normal, reverse, and strike-slip faults. where rock displacement happens, causing an earthquake.
 What is the epicenter of an earthquake?
 📍 The focus is the point within the Earth where rock -The epicenter is the point directly above the focus on the
displacement occurs, and the epicenter is the point on Earth's surface. Structures near the epicenter experience
the surface directly above it. more shaking and more damage.
 How do scientists locate the position of an earthquake's
 🏗️Structures near the epicenter experience more epicenter?
shaking and damage during an earthquake. -Scientists use a seismogram reading from at least three
different seismograph stations and a travel time graph, which
 📊 To locate the epicenter, seismologists use shows the speed of both P and S waves, to locate the
seismograms from at least three different stations and a epicenter.
travel time graph for P and S waves.  What are the two major scales used to measure
earthquakes?
 🔍 Earthquakes are measured using two scales: -The two major scales are magnitude and intensity.
magnitude, which is a single number representing total Magnitude measures the total energy released by an
energy released, and intensity, which describes the earthquake, while intensity measures the effects of the
observed effects. earthquake as perceived by an observer.
 What is the Richter scale?
-The Richter scale measures the magnitude of an
 🌡️The Richter scale measures magnitude, while the
earthquake, which is a single number representing the total
Mercalli scale measures intensity using Roman
energy released at the focus.
numerals.
 What is the Mercalli scale?
-The Mercalli scale measures the intensity of shaking and is
 📊 The PEIS or PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale
expressed using Roman numerals.
is a scale developed specifically for the Philippines,
 What is the PEIS and why was it developed?
ranging from 1 (scarcely perceptible) to 10 (completely
devastating). -The PEIS, or PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale, is a
seismic scale used and developed by PHIVOLCS to measure
the intensity of an earthquake. It was developed in response
 🌋 The Philippines experiences an average of 2000 to the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
earthquakes annually due to its location along the  Why does the Philippines experience frequent
Pacific Ring of Fire. earthquakes?
-The Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes because it
 🔬 Active faults are likely to cause future earthquakes lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which causes the country to
and are considered geological hazards, while inactive have frequent seismic and volcanic activities.
faults have not shown seismic activity for thousands of  What is an active fault?
years. -An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of
another earthquake in the future, with movement observed or
 🗺️The Philippines has five major active fault lines, and evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,000 years.
awareness of these can help in planning for and  What are the five major active fault lines in the
mitigating earthquake risks. Philippines?
-The five major active fault lines in the Philippines are the
 🛡️Emergency management involves four phases: Western Philippine Fault, Eastern Philippine Fault, South of
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, Mindanao Fault, Central Philippine Fault, and Marikina Valley
which are crucial for dealing with disasters like Fault System.
earthquakes.  Can seismologists predict earthquakes?
-Seismologists cannot predict the exact time and date of an
 What is a fault in the context of earthquakes? earthquake, but they can predict the locations where
-A fault is a crack or break in the Earth's crust due to earthquakes are likely to occur due to the presence of faults.
the movement of tectonic plates. When these plates  What are the four phases of emergency management?
move along fault lines, energy is released that causes -The four phases of emergency management are mitigation,
an earthquake. preparedness, response, and recovery.
 What are the three types of faults based on the
relative motion of tectonic plates?
-The three types of faults are normal fault, reverse fault,
and strike-slip fault.
 What is the focus of an earthquake?