Professor Mercalli regards Mallet's method with greater favour than
most seismologists. He points to the gradual increase in the angle of
emergence from the outer zones disturbed by the Riviera earthquake
towards the meizoseismal area, where several good observations were
made from fissures in walls parallel to the dominant direction of the
shock. The angles of emergence which he considers as most trustworthy
are those of 35° at Taggia, 40° at Oneglia, and about 30° at
Bordighera. The corresponding depths for the focus are 10.4, 10.4, and
11.6 miles, giving an average of about 10-3/4 miles.
There are no similar observations forthcoming for the depth of the
secondary focus near Nice and Mentone; but Professor Mercalli observes
that it must have been shallower than the other, for the vertical
component of the vibrations from this focus was much less sensible
than that of the motion coming from the principal focus.
NATURE OF THE SHOCK.
_The Double Shock._--In the valuable collection of records made by
Professors Taramelli and Mercalli there appears at first sight to be
the utmost diversity in the evidence with regard to the nature of the
shock. Thus, in the province of P. Maurizio alone, the shock was
described as subsultory first and then undulatory or vorticose at 25
places, undulatory and then subsultory at 22, undulatory and then
subsultory and again undulatory or vorticose at 13, and subsultory
first, then undulatory, and finally subsultory and vorticose at two
places. It is clear that the shock was of considerable duration, not
less than half-a-minute as a rule, and that there were several phases
in the movement; and it would seem that one or more of these phases
may have passed unnoticed owing to the alarm occasioned by the shock,
and to the fact that most of the observers were asleep when the
earthquake began. Defects of memory must also have an influence not to
be neglected, for, even with the simple shocks felt in the British
Isles, persons in the same or neighbouring places differ greatly in
their testimony.
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