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Intensity Lab

One Earthquake. One Magnitude. Countless Intensities.

Magnitude describes the amount of energy released by an earthquake. Seismic intensities describe the level and type of shaking at a particular location. The USGS Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale1 describes seismic intensity shaking levels from one (I) to ten (X). Explore intensity three ways below.

  1. I
  2. II
  3. III
  4. IV
  5. V
  6. VI
  7. VII
  8. VIII
  9. IX
  10. X

One (I) Not feltTen (X) Extreme

Shaking videos from earthquakes worldwide

Real footage of real earthquakes. Find a quake on the globe, watch what it did, and rate the intensity yourself. 41 rated clips from 12 earthquakes Explore the globe →

After a significant earthquake in our region

Measured shaking, simulated shaking where no sensor recorded it, and animations of what that shaking does to a room. Latest: M3.5, 21 km W of Preston, Nevada See what we produce →

Seismic waves across the region

Simulations that show an earthquake's waves spreading across the map, second by second. Newest: M5.4, 5km S of Chino Hills, CA Watch the waves →

Site last deployed: November 9, 2026.