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Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake. These are distinguished from seismic intensity scales that categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) caused by an earthquake at a given location. Magnitudes are usually determined from measurements of an earthquake's seismic ...
The Richter scale [1] ( / ˈrɪktər / ), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, [2] is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and presented in Richter's landmark 1935 paper, where he called it the ...
Earthquake size, as measured by the Richter Scale is a well known, but not well understood, concept. The idea of a logarithmic earthquake magnitude scale was first developed by Charles Richter in the 1930's for measuring the size of earthquakes occurring in southern California using relatively high-frequency data from nearby seismograph stations.
Apr 19, 2024 · The Richter scale was originally devised to measure the magnitude of earthquakes of moderate size (that is, magnitude 3 to magnitude 7) by assigning a number that would allow the size of one earthquake to be compared with another. The scale was developed for temblors occuring in southern California that were recorded using the Wood-Anderson ...
- John P. Rafferty
Magnitude scales, like the moment magnitude, measure the size of the earthquake at its source. An earthquake has one magnitude. The magnitude does not depend on where the measurement is made. Often, several slightly different magnitudes are reported for an earthquake.
Magnitude scales can be used to describe earthquakes so small that they are expressed in negative numbers. The scale also has no upper limit. The scale also has no upper limit. Learn more about how we measure earthquake magnitude .
Moment Magnitude (M W) = 2/3 log 10 (M O) - 9.1. See the Magnitude Types Table (below)for a summary of types, magnitude ranges, distance ranges, equations, and a brief description of each. For More Information on Magnitudes. Magnitude Types Table; How much bigger is a magnitude 8.7 earthquake than a magnitude 5.8 earthquake? Try it yourself ...
