| Intensity | Description |
|---|
| I | Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable circumstances. |
| II | Felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings.
Delicately suspended objects may swing. |
| III | Felt quite noticeably indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings, but many
people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motorcars may rock
slightly. Vibration like passing truck. Duration estimated. |
| IV | During the day felt indoors by many, outdoors by few. At night some
awakened. Dishes, windows, and doors disturbed; walls make creaking sound.
Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing motorcars rocked
noticeably. |
| V | Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Some dishes, windows, etc., broken;
a few instances of cracked plaster; unstable objects overturned. Disturbance of
trees, poles, and other tall objects sometimes noticed. Pendulum clocks may
stop. |
| VI | Felt by all; many frightened and run outdoors. Some heavy furniture moved; a
few instances of fallen plaster or damaged chimneys. Damage slight. |
| VII | Everybody runs outdoors. Damage negligible in buildings of good design and
construction; slight to moderate in well built ordinary structures; considerable
in poorly built or badly designed structures. Some chimneys broken. Noticed by
persons driving motorcars. |
| VIII | Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable in ordinary
substantial buildings, with partial collapse; great in poorly built structures.
Panel walls thrown out of frame structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks,
columns, monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned. Sand and mud
ejected in small amounts. Changes in well water. Persons driving motorcars
disturbed. |
| IX | Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well designed frame
structures thrown out of plumb; great in substantial buildings, with partial
collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations. Ground cracked conspicuously.
Underground pipes broken. |
| X | Some well built wooden structures destroyed; most masonry and frame
structures destroyed with foundations; ground badly cracked. Rails bent.
Landslides considerable from river banks and steep slopes. Shifted sand and
mud. Water splashed (slopped) over banks. |
| XI | Few, if any (masonry), structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Broad
fissures in ground. Underground pipelines completely out of service. Earth
slumps and land slips in soft ground. Rails bent greatly. |
| XII | Damage total. Waves seen on ground surfaces. Lines of sight and level
distorted. Objects thrown upward into the air. |
