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Earthquake Measurement
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Richter Scale
Originally used to measure the magnitude of local Southern California earthquakes, the Richter scale is logarithmic, and each whole number increase corresponds to a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and roughly 31.6 times more energy release. The scale typically ranges from 1 to 10.
Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
A subjective scale that measures the severity of shaking and damage from an earthquake. It ranges from I (not felt) to XII (total destruction), assessing the effects of the earthquake on the Earth's surface, humans, buildings, and the natural environment.
Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw)
The Moment Magnitude Scale is used to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. It supersedes the Richter scale for large, distant, or deep earthquakes. The scale is logarithmic; Mw is derived from seismic moment (Mo), which is a measure of the amount of strain energy released by the earthquake. The formula is .
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