There are two ways of describing an earthquake;by intensity and by magnitude.

When we talk of intensity, we are referring to the effects and damage produced by the earthquake. It is determined by going to all the areas affected by the earthquake and observing the damage, as well as recording the experiences of the people there. The first intensity scale was developed by Giuseppe Mercalli in 1902. This has since been improved by the use of strong motion seismometers which are able to measure ground accelerations and so produce a less subjective assessment of intensity. The value of intensity can vary from place to place. In the US the intensity of an earthquake is measured using the Modified Mercalli scale and in Europe the Macroseismic scale is used (which appears to be an updated version of the original Mercalli intensity scale). Earthquake magnitude on the other hand is a single value (it should be the same no matter where it is measured) and is based on the amount of seismic energy produced by an earthquake. It can be estimated from the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by a seismometer (and requires scaling to account for the distance of the recording station from the earthquakes epicentre) or directly based on the cross sectional area of the fault which moved, the average displacement and the shear modulus of the rockmass. In the past the Richter magnitude scale was commonly used however seismologists now use the Moment magnitude scale.

There are four different types of volcanoes. A volcano is categorized both by formation and appearance. Different types of volcanoes also indicate the types of expected eruptions. The different types of volcanoes are: composite (or stratovolcanoes), shield, cinder cones and spatter cones. Throughout the world, one can see pictures of the four types of volcanoes, each type indicative of the active underground world we often view as static. Layers, or strata, of rock and lava form the composite or stratovolcanoes. These volcanoes come in a number of shapes. A composite volcano like Mt. Rainier resembles a helmet. The sides of this type of volcano are usually steep, some reaching a pointy peek at the top. Mt. St. Helens, also in Washington, and Mt. Shasta in Northern California are both composites. As well, the recognizable Mt. Fuji in Japan is one of the largest composites in the world.

The composite volcano, when dormant, is generally a beautiful and impressive mountain. However, eruptions are particularly intense. As magma rises to the eruption point, it tends to get clogged due to high viscosity. The pressure needed to force the magma out of the volcano is huge, and the result is an explosion of both rock and lava. It is quite dangerous to witness such an eruption up close. BENEFICIAL EFFECTS
1. Volcanic soil is rich in nutrients, and very fertile for growing crops. This is a result of the minerals contained within volcanic ash which settles on surrounding areas. 2. They can form new land masses and islands. 3 and 4. Beside suffocating poisonous gases, volcanic eruptions also actually release some healthy gases such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is useful for the plants in generating the process of photosynthesis. Hydrogen, when mixed with oxygen, creates water vapour. This adds to the water cycle.

1. Magma is the molten material beneath Earth's crust. This material consists of rock, gases, and mineral crystals. The temperature of the magma can be as high as 5000degrees Fahrenheit. The pressure is also very high since the magma supports the weight of Earth's crust. Lava is the molten rock that comes out of a volcano or from a fissure in Earth's surface. A fissure is a crack. The molten rock comes from the underground magma. Lava is thus magma that has broken through Earth's surface
2.A active volcano regular erupts, but a dormant volcano is one that is capable of erupting3. 3.Tectonic earthquakes are caused by movements in the earth's crust while volcanic earthquakes are caused by the movement of molten material or by gas pressure inside a volcano. Folding and faulting are both caused by stress in the Earth's crust exceeding the strength of the material. However there are differences in the confining stresses and or temperatures at which these two processes occur. Folding tends to occur at small strain rates (the speed at which the material changes shape or is squashed is very small), at higher confining pressures and with higher temperatures at greater depths in the Earth, usually within the asthenosphere or mesosphere. All of these factors act to stop the formation of fractures within the material leading to ductile deformation which is why the rocks can fold rather than break. Faulting occurs where strain rates are large and there are relatively low temperatures and confining pressures at shallower depths within the earth's lithosphere. These conditions allow fractures to propagate through the rock causing faulting