1883 Rossi-Forel Scale of Earthquake Intensity

  • Recorded by a single seismograph or by some seismographs of the same pattern, but not by several seismographs of different kinds; the shock felt by an experienced observer.
  • Recorded by seismographs of different kinds; felt by a small number of persons at rest.
  • Felt by several persons at rest; strong enough for the duration or direction to be appreciable.
  • Felt by several persons in motion; disturbance of moveable objects, doors, windows, creaking of floors.
  • Felt generally by everyone; disturbance of furniture and beds; ringing of some bells.
  • General awakening of those asleep; general ringing of bells; oscillation of chandeliers, stopping of clocks; visible disturbance of trees and shrubs; some startled persons leave their dwellings.
  • Overthrow of moveable objects, fall of plaster, ringing of churchbells, general panic, without damage to buildings
  • Fall of chimneys, cracks in the walls of buildings.
  • Partial or total destruction of some buildings.
  • Great disasters, ruins, disturbance of strata, fissures in the earth's crust, rockfalls from mountains.
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