Refining is inevitable in science when you have made measurements of a phenomenon for a long period of time.

The most remarkable feature about the magnitude scale was that it worked at all and that it could be extended on a worldwide basis. It was originally envisaged as a rather rough-and-ready procedure by which we could grade earthquakes. We would have been happy if we could have assigned just three categories, large, medium, and small; the point is, we wanted to avoid personal judgments. It actually turned out to be quite a finely tuned scale.

Refining is inevitable in science when you have made measurements of a phenomenon for a long period of time.

As seismologists gained more experience from earthquake records, it became obvious that the problem could not be reduced to a single peak acceleration. In fact, a full frequency of vibrations occurs.

No joy in nature is so sublimely affecting as the joy of a mother at the good fortune of a child.

Most loss of life and property has been due to the collapse of antiquated and unsafe structures, mostly of brick and other masonry. ... There is progress of California toward building new construction according to earthquake-resistant design. We would have less reason to ask for earthquake prediction if this was universal.

There is nothing more beautiful than cheerfulness in an old face, and among country people it is always a sign of a well-regulated life.