TOEFL Vocabulary
Seismic Scales
There are two commonly used seismic scales to describe the severity of earthquakes: a magnitude scale and an intensity scale. The former, usually expressed in Arabic numerals, represents the original force or energy of an earthquake, whereas the latter, usually expressed in Roman numerals, represents the intensity of shaking occurring at any given point on the Earth’s surface. More specifically, the intensity scale indicates the local effects and potential for damage produced by an earthquake on the Earth’s surface, which affects humans, animals, structures, and natural objects such as bodies of water.
☑ seismic scale 震度階級
☑ magnitude scale 震級
☑ intensity scale 震度
☑ the original force or energy 原始的力量或能量
☑ the Earth’s surface 地表
☑ local effects 局部效應
☑ potential for damage 災害潛勢
☑ bodies of water 水體
描述地震的嚴重程度有兩種常用的震度階級：震級與震度。前者通常用阿拉伯數字（有小數點，如規模 6.8、7.3 等）表示，代表地震的原始力量或能量，而後者通常用羅馬數字（沒有小數點，如震度 4 級、5弱、6強等）表示，代表於地球表面任何定點發生的晃動強度。更具體地說，震度所指的是地震對地表造成的局部效應，以及影響人類、動物、建築結構和自然物體（如水體）而導致災害的可能性。
