 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Rudzi rwokutanga rwakapfava rwekudengenyeka kwenyika rwakagadzirwa naDomenico Pignataro muma1780. Chiyero chokutanga chechisimba chinozivikanwa mupfungwa yemazuva ano yeshoko racho chakagadzirwa naPNG Egen muna 1828. Zvisinei, mepu yokutanga yemazuva ano yokudengenyeka kwenyika yakaitwa naRobert Mallet, injiniya wokuIreland uyo akatumwa neImperial College, London kunotsvakurudza kudengenyeka kwenyika kwakaitika muna December 1857 muBasilicata, inozivikanwawo seKudengenyeka Kukuru kweNeapolitan kwa1857. Chiyero chokutanga chakagamuchirwa zvikuru, chiyero cheRossiForel, chakatangwa mukupera kwezana ramakore rechi19 sechirongwa chemakiredhi gumi. Muna 1902, nyanzvi yokudengenyeka kwenyika yokuItaly Giuseppe Mercalli, akagadzira chikero cheMercalli, chikero chitsva chine magiredhi 12. Kuvandudza kunokosha zvikuru kwakasvikwa, zvikurukuru naCharles Francis Richter mukati mema1950, apo 1 kuwirirana kwakawanwa pakati pechisimba chenyika uye Peak ground acceleration - PGA ona equation iyo Richter yakawana yeCalifornia. 2 tsanangudzo yesimba rezvivako, uye kugoverwa muzvikamu kunonzi rudzi rwezvivako zvakaitwa. Zvadaro, kuyerwa kwokudengenyeka kwenyika kwakanga kwakavakirwa pamwero wokukuvadzwa kworudzi rwakapiwa rwechivako. Izvozvo zvakapa Mercalli Scale, pamwe chete neEuropean MSK-64 scale yakatevera, chinhu chinorehwa, chinomiririra kusagadzikana kworudzi rwechivako. Kubvira ipapo, chiyero ichocho chakanzi Modified Mercalli intensity scale - MMS uye kuyerwa kweSeismic Intensities kwakava kwakavimbika zvikuru. 