We measure earthquake intensity with the method he developed: Who is Giuseppe Mercalli?

Giuseppe Mercalli was born on May 21, 1850. He studied literary and scientific culture at the theological school of Monza and was a student of the geologist Antonio Stoppani.

Giuseppe Mercalli (21 May 1850 – 19 March 1914) was an Italian volcanologist and Catholic priest. He is known best for the Mercalli intensity scale for measuring earthquake intensity.

He graduated in Natural Sciences in 1874 and then began teaching natural sciences at the Monza Seminary. Between 1880 and 1913 he carried out intensive research activity and devoted himself to the study of alpine glacial deposits in Lombardy. He became a teacher of religious secondary schools in Monza and also prepared school texts for them.

Their greatest contribution to the seismic field is the Mercalli scale. This scale is a very useful tool for classifying the intensity of an earthquake.

What are the characteristics of the Mercalli scale? What kind of quantity does it measure?

The Mercalli scale was developed by the Italian seismologist Giuseppe Mercalli in 1902. This scale uses 12 different ratings that describe the effects people feel. Each rating indicates how much the earthquake's effects were felt and how damaging it was.

The Mercalli scale is evaluated based on the effects of the earthquake, not its magnitude. Therefore, earthquakes of the same magnitude in different locations can be evaluated with different Mercalli ratings.

The Mercalli scale is evaluated between severity levels I-XII. I-degree earthquakes are rarely felt by humans, while XII-degree earthquakes are the most destructive and destructive.

The Mercalli scale is used to assess how much earthquake effects are felt where people live. This scale assists in damage estimates and recovery operations in the region due to devastating effects.