Mercalli scale

[ mer-kah-lee, mer-; Italian mer-kahl-lee ]

noun

, Geology.

1. a measure of earthquake intensity with 12 divisions ranging from I (felt by very few) to XII (total destruction).

Mercalli scale

/ mɜːˈkælɪ /

noun

1. a 12-point scale for expressing the intensity of an earthquake, ranging from 1 (not felt, except by few under favourable circumstances) to 12 (total destruction) Compare Richter scale See also intensity

Mercalli scale

/ mər-kä′lē,mĕr- /

1. A scale of earthquake intensity based on observed effects and ranging from I (detectable only with instruments) to XII (causing almost total destruction). It is named after the Italian seismologist Giuseppe Mercalli.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mercalli scale¹

1920–25; named after Giuseppe Mercalli (1850–1914), Italian seismologist

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mercalli scale¹

C20: named after Giuseppe Mercalli (1850–1914), Italian volcanologist and seismologist

Example Sentences

Its thresholds are a bit more conservative, however: Alerts are triggered to cellphones only if an earthquake’s magnitude is expected to be 5 or higher and the shaking intensity is expected to be “light,” defined as Level 4 on the Mercalli scale.

From Los Angeles Times

The amount of shaking a quake causes is measured on separate scales, such as the Modified Mercalli Scale.

From New York Times

Instead, seismologists relied on a Roman-numeral-based Mercalli scale that depended on subjective assessments like how much objects were damaged and how people reacted.

From Los Angeles Times

And that there’s a lot to be said for using, say, the Mercalli Scale — which lets you judge intensity by observing what fell off your shelves — instead of the Richter Scale, which forces you to try to explain logarithms to your children just when they were getting interested in earthquakes.

From Scientific American