It is impossible to predicts when an where an earthquake will hit, let alone how strong it will be. It is also doubtless that here will be multiple earthquakes in 2012, just like there are every year.
The Tsunami in Japan in 2011 was caused by an earthquake gesitering a magnitude 9.0.
Largest earthquake in last 6 months was the magnitude 8.6 earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra on April 11, 2012. There was recently a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Northwestern Iran on August 11, 2012 followed by a series of aftershocks.
An earthquake's magnitude is a measure of how strong it is
Another word for an earthquake's strength is magnitude. Magnitude is a measure of the size of the seismic waves produced by an earthquake.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 9 is 10,000 times larger in amplitude than an earthquake with a magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale. This means that the energy released by a magnitude 9 earthquake is significantly greater than that of a magnitude 4 quake.
The strength of an earthquake is measured by its magnitude, which indicates the amount of energy released at the earthquake's source. Earthquake magnitude is typically reported on the Richter scale or the moment magnitude scale.
There was a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1964.
7.2 magnitude
The only significant earthquake on Aug 31, 2012 was magnitude 7.6 in the PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION. For details see related link below.
The magnitude of an earthquake is measured on a logarithmic scale, so a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is 10 times stronger than a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in terms of the energy released. This means that the amplitude of ground shaking in a magnitude 7.0 earthquake would be significantly greater than in a magnitude 6.0 earthquake.
Because the "magnitude scale is not linear, it is logarithmic (its numbers are an order of magnitude apart) this mean that the a magnitude 6 earthquake is TEN TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 5 earthquake and a HUNDRED TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 4 earthquake.
Because the "magnitude scale is not linear, it is logarithmic (its numbers are an order of magnitude apart) this mean that the a magnitude 6 earthquake is TEN TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 5 earthquake and a HUNDRED TIMES more powerful than a magnitude 4 earthquake.