Seismic waves cause perceptible ground motion if they are strong enough. For seismic hazard assessment, the study of ground motion is where the rubber meets the road. If we understand the shaking, we can design structures and infrastructures to withstand it. The severity of earthquake shaking is fundamentally controlled by three factors: earthquake magnitude, the attenuation of energy as waves move through the crust and the modification of shaking due to the local geological structure.
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