One statement you could write is that "Earthquakes of higher magnitudes are much rarer than those of lower magnitudes".
The magnitude of earthquakes is a logarithmic scale, so a magnitude of 8 is TEN TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 7. This is why earthquakes of higher magnitudes are so much rarer than those of lower magnitudes.
The list of earthquakes by year (1990-Present) or by country can be found at the USGS Earthquake Hazards website. In 2010 there was one earthquake magnitude 8 or greater, which was in Chile (M 8.8). The USGS provides a list of significant earthquakes for 2010 as well as a worldwide map of earthquakes for 2010 and previous years. See link below.
30 times more energy released. 10 times more ground motion*
RICHTER SCALEThe Richter scale (known as the local magnitude scale to seismologists) was originally developed to measure small to moderate magnitude earthquakes in southern California by Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg. The numerical levels indicate the energy released by a particular quake. The numerical value is obtained from the logarithm of the maximum amplitude of seismic waves as recorded on a seismometer. This value is then scaled to account for the distance from the epicentre of the earthquake to the seismometer so as to allow the value to be correlated with the local magnitude readings from other seismometers in differing locations (as seismic waves lose their energy as they propagate through the earth so if this correction was not made, then different seismometer stations at different distances would give differing Richter magnitudes for the same earthquake). The Richter magnitude measurement produced by this methodology in theory has no limit and may be positive or negative.As stated above, the Richter scale itself is a logarithmic mathematical formula which is calibrated so that a ten fold increase in amplitude relates to a single whole number increase on the scale (e.g. an earthquake with a Richter magnitude of 5 has seismic waves with a maximum amplitude 10 times larger than those for a magnitude 4). It has a number of practical limitations, in that it is poor at recording earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7 and at distances greater than 650 km from a seismometer.The equation for calculating the Richter magnitude (MR) is shown below:MR = (Log10A) - (Log10A0)WhereA = maximum zero to peak amplitude of seismic wave (mm) recorded.A0 = Empirical function derived from the distance from seismometer station to earthquake epicentreLog10A0 From 0 to 200 km distance:Log10A0 = 0.15 - 1.6 log(distance in km)Between 200 and 600 km distance by:Log10A0 = 3.38 - 3.0 log(distance in km)Due to the limitations described above (distance and maximum size of measurable earthquake), it has since been replaced by the Moment Magnitude Scale in the measurement of large earthquakes - for information on this, please see the related question.the richter scale reads the magnitude of earthquake.
they tend to occur between two plate tectonics.As well, by studying the magnitude of their shockwaves from different distances and locations, the direction of the force waves can be traced back to where the meet at the origin of the earthquake.
the magnitude of 3.0 releases about 1000 times as much energy as an 1.0 magnitude
the relationship between earthquakes magnitude is the size or amount of energy an earthquake produces and has no connection to hour often earthquakes occur.
Earthquake strength is measured using a magnitude scale. For small to moderate strength Earthquakes (< magnitude 7) the Richter scale is used. For Earthquakes between 7 and 8 the body and surface magnitude scales are used and for earthquakes larger than 8, the moment magnitude scale is used.
Earthquake strength is measured using a magnitude scale. For small to moderate strength Earthquakes (< magnitude 7) the Richter scale is used. For Earthquakes between 7 and 8 the body and surface magnitude scales are used and for earthquakes larger than 8, the moment magnitude scale is used.
The magnitude of an earthquake is the amount of energy released at the source of the earthquake and is measured by a seismograph. Intensity is shaking strength of an earthquake at a particular location.
Convergent boundaries where large scale thrust faulting occurs tend to have the largest magnitude earthquakes. For wxample the subduction boundary between the Pacific plate and the South American plate was responsible for the largest magnitude earthquake ever recorded (the magnitude 9.5 Valdivia earthquake that occurred in 1960 in Chile).
A magnitude 6 earthquake has 10 ten times the energy of a magnitude 5 earthquake.
Large earthquakes (magnitudes greater than 8) are measured using the MMS (moment magnitude) scale. Small and moderate strength earthquakes (those with magnitudes less than 7) are measured using the Richter magnitude scale and earthquakes with magnitudes between 7 and 8 are measured using the Surface Wave magnitude scale.
The largest earthquake with a magnitude documented by instruments was the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake in Chile, which had a moment magnitude of about 9.5. Thermonuclear blasts are measured in megatons; the Valdivia Earthquake released gigatons of energy.
A magnitude 6 earthquake emits roughly 31 times more energy than a magnitude 5 earthquake. The magnitude 6 quake will also have a maximum seismic wave amplitude of ten times the magnitude 5 earthquake.
There have been many devastating earthquakes over the years. Some of the worst and most massive earthquakes have been the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed between 240,000 and 655,000 people. Another massive one was the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake which killed 830,000 people. The largest earthquake to be measured on a seismograph was the 1960 Chilean Earthquake which was a 9.5 magnitude.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is about 1.4 times stronger than a magnitude 5.9.
Earthquake intensity is measured on a scale called 'Mercalli Intensity Scale' or more recently 'Modified Mercalli Scale'. The scale quantifies the effects of an earthquake on the Earth's surface, humans, objects of nature, and man-made structures on a scale from I (not felt) to XII (total destruction). An earthquake is graded after collecting data from people who have experienced the earthquake and observing the destruction caused by the earthquake. People often confuse 'Intensity' of an earthquake with its 'magnitude.' An earthquake's magnitude is a measure of the energy released by an earthquake that propagates from it. It is measured by the Richter scale(formerly), or Moment Magnitude Scale. Information about the earthquake is put into an algorithm to assign the earthquake to a scale of 2 or less, to 10.0+ and anything in between. A magnitude of 2 or less is extremely weak, and may not have been felt at all. An earthquake with the magnitude of 10 is extremely massive and would cause mass destruction - there have not been any 10.0 earthquakes recorded yet. Magnitude and Intensity are correlated. Intensity depends on the magnitude, distance between focus and surface, and population density of the region etc. So, an earthquake with more magnitude will have more intensity, given all the conditions remain same. See the Related Links section below for the algorithm.