Take our example from before where we have a magnitude 1 and a magnitude 2 quake. Through measurements of seismic activity, scientists know that the energy released by an earthquake, which is what causes all that shaking and moving in the first place, increases 32 times for each step up the Richter scale. Now let's see how this relates to the total energy released during an earthquake. Take another step up the scale, so from magnitude 1 to magnitude 3, and this is 10 times more than that first step, so we now have 100 times more ground shaking with just two steps up the scale. Compare that with a magnitude 2 earthquake, which is only one step higher (remember, the scale runs from 1 - 10), and you now have 10 times more ground shaking than with the magnitude 1 quake. Say we have a magnitude 1 earthquake on the Richter scale, which is the lowest magnitude earthquake. This means that for each 1 point in increase on the scale we get 10 times more ground shaking. The Richter scale runs from 1 - 10 (1 being the least in magnitude and 10 being the greatest), but it is logarithmic. In the case of the Richter scale, the increase is in wave amplitude. In other words, a two is 10 times more intense than a one and a three is 100 times greater. The Richter scale is a base-10 logarithmic scale, which means that each order of magnitude is 10 times more intense than the last one. For example, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is 10 times stronger than a magnitude 6.0 earthquake, and 31 times stronger than a magnitude 5.0 earthquake. This information comes from seismographs, which collect data and directly measure the amount of ground shaking.Įach increase of one magnitude unit on the Richter scale represents a tenfold increase in the amplitude of the seismic waves, and a 31-fold increase in the amount of energy released. Now called the Richter scale, these measurements tell us how much the ground shook during a quake and how much energy was released. In 1935, Charles Richter developed the local magnitude scale, a scale used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. Using the Richter Scale to Measure Earthquakes This movement of ground is called seismic activity, and while we can't always tell when, where, or how strongly an earthquake will hit, we can measure its magnitude while it's happening. The ground shakes and moves due to rock breaking below the surface. It is a logarithmic scale, meaning that each increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in the amount of seismic energy released.Īn earthquake is just what it sounds like - the quaking of Earth. The Richter scale is a quantitative measure of the magnitude of an earthquake, developed by American seismologists Charles F.
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