diff --git a/pylot/core/analysis/magnitude.py b/pylot/core/analysis/magnitude.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c9db0ef2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pylot/core/analysis/magnitude.py
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+"""
+Created August/September 2015.
+
+:author: Ludger Küperkoch / MAGS2 EP3 working group
+"""
+
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+import numpy as np
+from obspy.core import Stream
+from pylot.core.pick.utils import getsignalwin
+
+class Magnitude(object):
+    '''
+    Superclass for calculating Wood-Anderson peak-to-peak
+    amplitudes, local magnitudes and moment magnitudes.
+    '''
+
+    def __init__(self, wfstream, To, pwin, iplot):
+        '''
+        :param: wfstream
+        :type: `~obspy.core.stream.Stream
+
+        :param: To, onset time, P- or S phase
+        :type:  float
+
+        :param: pwin, pick window [To To+pwin] to get maximum
+                peak-to-peak amplitude
+        :type:  float
+
+        :param: iplot, no. of figure window for plotting interims results
+        :type: integer
+
+        '''
+        
+        assert isinstance(wfstream, Stream), "%s is not a stream object" % str(wfstream)
+
+        self.setwfstream(wfstream)
+        self.setTo(To)
+        self.setpwin(pwin)
+        self.setiplot(iplot)
+        self.calcwapp()
+
+
+    def getwfstream(self):
+        return self.wfstream
+
+    def setwfstream(self, wfstream):
+        self.wfstream = wfstream
+
+    def getTo(self):
+        return self.To
+
+    def setTo(self, To):
+        self.To = To
+
+    def getpwin(self):
+        return self.pwin
+
+    def setpwin(self, pwin):
+        self.pwin = pwin
+   
+    def getiplot(self):
+        return self.iplot
+
+    def setiplot(self, iplot):
+        self.iplot = iplot
+
+    def getwapp(self):
+        return self.wapp
+
+    def calcwapp(self):
+        self.wapp = None
+
+class WApp(Magnitude):
+    '''
+    Method to derive peak-to-peak amplitude as seen on a Wood-Anderson-
+    seismograph. Has to be derived from corrected traces!
+    '''
+
+    def calcwapp(self):
+        print "Getting Wood-Anderson peak-to-peak amplitude ..."
+        print "Simulating Wood-Anderson seismograph ..."
+
+        self.wapp = None
+        stream = self.getwfstream()
+
+        # poles, zeros and sensitivity of WA seismograph
+        # (see Uhrhammer & Collins, 1990, BSSA, pp. 702-716)
+        paz_wa = {
+            'poles': [5.6089 - 5.4978j, -5.6089 - 5.4978j],
+            'zeros': [0j, 0j],
+            'gain': 2080,
+            'sensitivity': 1} 
+
+        stream.simulate(paz_remove=None, paz_simulate=paz_wa)
+
+        trH1 = stream[0].data
+        trH2 = stream[1].data
+        ilen = min([len(trH1), len(trH2)])
+        # get RMS of both horizontal components
+        sqH = np.sqrt(np.power(trH1[0:ilen], 2) + np.power(trH2[0:ilen], 2))
+        # get time array
+        th = np.arange(0, len(sqH) * stream[0].stats.delta, stream[0].stats.delta)
+        # get maximum peak within pick window
+        iwin = getsignalwin(th, self.getTo(), self.getpwin())
+        self.wapp = np.max(sqH[iwin])
+        print "Determined Wood-Anderson peak-to-peak amplitude: %f mm" % self.wapp
+        if self.getiplot() > 1:
+            stream.plot()
+            f = plt.figure(2)
+            plt.plot(th, sqH)
+            plt.plot(th[iwin], sqH[iwin], 'g')
+            plt.plot([self.getTo(), self.getTo()], [0, max(sqH)], 'r', linewidth=2)
+            plt.title('Station %s, RMS Horizontal Traces, WA-peak-to-peak=%4.1f mm' \
+                      % (stream[0].stats.station, self.wapp))
+            plt.xlabel('Time [s]')
+            plt.ylabel('Displacement [mm]')
+            plt.show()
+            raw_input()
+            plt.close(f)
+
+    
+