![]() It’s based on the size of a fault (crack in Earth’s crust), how much the fault slips (moves) during a quake, and the energy force that was required to permit that movement. One of the more commonly used ones today is known as the moment magnitude. It runs from 1 to more than 8 and is calculated by the peak ground motion as recorded by seismographs. Magnitude: (in geology) A number used to describe the relative size of an earthquake. So, for every 1 point increase in magnitude (such as from 3 to 4), there is a 10 fold increase in ground motion (how far the land shakes back and forth) and a roughly 33-fold increase in the amount of energy released. Once a month or so, there is a major earthquake somewhere in the world - one that measures 7 or more on the Richter scale.Ĭheck out the full list of Scientists Say.Įarthquake: A sudden and sometimes violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within Earth’s crust or of volcanic action.Įarthquake magnitude: A measurement of the intensity of the ground-shaking associated with an earthquake. Those details offer a better estimate of the total energy an earthquake releases - and therefore a more accurate earthquake magnitude. This system uses newer technology to analyze seismic waves in much more detail than Richter’s method. This is another logarithmic scale for earthquake magnitude. Instead, scientists use the moment magnitude scale. So, the Richter scale is rarely used today. But it tends to underestimate big quakes. The Richter scale works well for sizing up small earthquakes. The most severe earthquakes ever recorded have been about magnitude 9. Magnitude 4 and 5 earthquakes are often bad enough to cause damage. Earthquakes of about magnitude 3 are just strong enough to be felt. That means each step up on the Richter scale represents 10 times stronger ground shaking. ![]() The scale was logarithmic (Log-uh-RITH-mik). They rated earthquake magnitude based on the biggest ground vibration - or seismic wave - measured from a quake. Seismologists Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg came up with this scale in the 1930s. The bigger the quake, the bigger its magnitude on the Richter scale. The Richter scale is a measure of earthquake magnitude.
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