Earthquakes.GS
Shake it Baby!
Shake it Baby!
|
||
|
||
|
USGS Earthquakes Powerful EarthquakesLargest Recorded Earthquake Learning Center
Earthquake Definition |
Earthquakes Shake Terribly and It's Not Your Fault.This site is purely informational. We aim to create a place where seismologists, geophysicists, geologists, and the general public can exchange ideas.. Please send contributions to admin@earthquakes.gs |
||
How are Earthquakes Measured?Most seismologists use the Richter Scale to measure the magnitude of the earthquake. In 1934, seismologist Charles Richter came up with a way to measure earthquakes. He proposed that the largest seismic wave was to be measured; regardless of the kind of wave. He then used logarithmic properties of mathematics to create the scale. He called the scale or intensity of the quake the magnitude. The way that logs work the scale goes up exponentially and a small increase on the scale can actually have a huge impact on the intensity. When you hear of a quakes magnitude, it is usually referring to the magnitude on the Richter scale. However, recently scientists have come up with different magnitude scales. For this reason, the magnitude may be slightly different depending on what scale they are using. An interesting thing is that there is no maximum or upper limit to the Richter Scale. It just so happens, that no earthquakes have gone over 9.5.
|
|||