Скачать или смотреть Taiwan to update seismic intensity scale from Jan. 1

Taiwan will adopt a new seismic intensity scale starting Jan. 1. The new scale will still go from 0 to 7, but levels 5 and 6 will each be broken down into two levels. The Central Weather Bureau says this new scale will allow more precise reports on the damage caused by earthquakes. Around 18,500 earthquakes rock Taiwan every year. To make earthquake damage reports more precise, the CWB will soon update its seismic intensity scale.Chen Kuo-changSeismological Center directorThe levels will still go from 0 to 7. But 5 and 6 on the scale will be divided into Lower 5, Upper 5, Lower 6 and Upper 6.The current seismic scale goes from 0 to 7. After 5 and 6 are each broken down into two, there will be 10 levels in total, up from eight.Chen Kuo-changSeismological Center directorWe’re breaking them down into Upper 5, Lower 5, Upper 6, and Lower 6, mainly because those middle levels currently describe too wide a range of effects. For instance, Upper 5 describes a quake that causes some damage to buildings. That degree of intensity is currently subsumed within Level 5. We had to bring it out.In the future, Lower 5 will describe a tremor that causes most people to panic and walls to crack. An Upper 5 quake sends everyone into panic. People would have trouble walking, furniture would topple, and windows would be deformed. A Lower 6 quake damages less earthquake-resistant buildings. An Upper 6 tremor damages houses with high earthquake resistance.The new scale will be used from next January. Earthquake codes for transport and construction will be reassessed to match the new scale.