Mercalli scale

[mer-kah-lee, mer-; Italian mer-kahl-lee]

noun Geology.

a measure of earthquake intensity with 12 divisions ranging from I (felt by very few) to XII (total destruction).

Origin of Mercalli scale

1920–25; named after Giuseppe Mercalli (1850–1914), Italian seismologist

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British Dictionary definitions for mercalli scale

Mercalli scale

noun

a 12-point scale for expressing the intensity of an earthquake, ranging from 1 (not felt, except by few under favourable circumstances) to 12 (total destruction)Compare Richter scale See also intensity (def. 4)

Word Origin for Mercalli scale

C20: named after Giuseppe Mercalli (1850–1914), Italian volcanologist and seismologist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mercalli scale in Science

Mercalli scale

[mər-kä′lē, mĕr-]

A scale of earthquake intensity based on observed effects and ranging from I (detectable only with instruments) to XII (causing almost total destruction). It is named after the Italian seismologist Giuseppe Mercalli.