For K-12 Students · Earthquake Shaking
Earthquake Shaking for an aquifer
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate an aquifer live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Earthquake Magnitude & ShakingLive
energy · attenuation · intensity
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Magnitude is logarithmic in amplitude but each unit releases about 32× more energy (E ∝ 10^1.5M). Shaking at a site falls off with distance through attenuation. Peak ground acceleration maps to the Modified Mercalli intensity people actually feel — a planning estimate, not a site-specific hazard analysis.
Data Inspector
Energy6.31e+13 J
TNT equivalent15.1 kt
Peak accel.0.3 %g
IntensityIII-IV Light
Governing equation
Reading this result: 30 km out, an M6 quake attenuates to only ~0.3%g — intensity III-IV Light, felt but rarely damaging. Distance and the log falloff tame most of the 6.3e+13 J released.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
More with Earthquake Shaking
Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Earthquake Shaking for an aquifer" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.