The moment magnitude scale was first published in an academic paper in The Journal of Geophysical Research in 1979.A
This paper is freely available online and can be read in PDF format by clicking on the related link.
AHanks, T. C & Kanamori, H. (1979). A Moment Magnitude Scale. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 84, No. B5, pp. 2348-2350.
There are a number of earthquake magnitude scales, including the moment magnitude scale (the scale currently favoured by seismologists), the Richter or local magnitude scale and the surface wave magnitude scale.
Magnitude of the 2011 Japan earthquake on moment magnitude scale is 9.0.The use of the Richter magnitude scale has largely been replaced by the moment magnitude scale in most countries. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), for example, uses the moment magnitude scale designated as MMS or Mw to measure all large earthquakes.UPDATE: Official magnitude was updated to 9.1 on Nov 7, 2016.
The moment magnitude scale is more accurate for large earthquake than can cause damage.
The moment magnitude scale (MW) provides an estimate of the total energy released in an earthquake and is currently the preferred magnitude scale in use by seismologists for measuring large (magnitude greater than 7) earthquakes.
the moment magnitude scale rates an earthquake by estimating the total energy released during an earthquake
The magnitude of the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, was 6.3 on the Richter scale.
The Richter scale
There are a number of earthquake magnitude scales, including the moment magnitude scale (the scale currently favoured by seismologists), the Richter or local magnitude scale and the surface wave magnitude scale.
This is known as magnitude. It is measured on the moment magnitude scale.
Magnitude of the 2011 Japan earthquake on moment magnitude scale is 9.0.The use of the Richter magnitude scale has largely been replaced by the moment magnitude scale in most countries. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), for example, uses the moment magnitude scale designated as MMS or Mw to measure all large earthquakes.UPDATE: Official magnitude was updated to 9.1 on Nov 7, 2016.
The moment magnitude scale is more accurate for large earthquake than can cause damage.
A magnitude scale. Formerly the Richter magnitude scale was used, but this has now been replaced by the Moment magnitude scale.
Geologists use the moment magnitude scale (Mw) to rate the magnitude of an earthquake today. This scale takes into account the seismic moment, which provides a more precise measurement of an earthquake's size compared to the Richter scale.
The moment magnitude scale (MW) provides an estimate of the total energy released in an earthquake and is currently the preferred magnitude scale in use by seismologists for measuring large (magnitude greater than 7) earthquakes.
The scale currently used to express the magnitude of earthquakes is the Richter scale or the moment magnitude scale (Mw). The moment magnitude scale is more commonly used today as it provides a more accurate measurement of an earthquake's size compared to the Richter scale.
The main scales for measuring earthquakes are the Richter scale, the moment magnitude scale, and the Mercalli intensity scale. The Richter scale measures the amplitude of seismic waves, the moment magnitude scale considers the total energy released by an earthquake, and the Mercalli intensity scale measures the intensity of shaking and its effects on people and structures.
The energy of an earthquake is measured using the moment magnitude scale (Mw). This scale quantifies the total energy released during an earthquake by assessing the seismic moment, which is related to the fault rupture area and the average slip along the fault.