The Richter Scale Flashcards
1
Q
What does the Richter scale measure?
A
The magnitude of an earthquake
2
Q
What does the Richter scales logarithmic nature mean?
A
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5 has an amplitude (wave size) ten times greater than one with a magnitude of 4
3
Q
What does each value on the scale represent?
A
30 times more energy released than the previous value
4
Q
Where do major earthquakes tend to be on the Richter scale?
A
Above magnitude 7, most earthquakes with a magnitude 1-2 aren’t felt
