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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.

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What is the relationship between the strength of eathquakes and the earthquake frequency?

The relationship between the strength of earthquakes and their frequency is often described by the Gutenberg-Richter law, which states that smaller earthquakes occur much more frequently than larger ones. For instance, while thousands of minor earthquakes may be recorded each year, significant earthquakes (magnitude 7 or above) happen much less frequently, often on the order of once every several years. This inverse relationship means that as the magnitude of an earthquake increases, its likelihood of occurrence decreases.


How many large earthquakes were there in 2012?

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.


What is the energy level difference between a magnitude 5 earthquake and a magnitude 4 earthquake?

30 times more energy released. 10 times more ground motion*


How do you calculate the difference between two earthquakes?

To calculate the difference between two earthquakes, you typically compare their magnitudes and locations. Magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, such as the Richter scale or moment magnitude scale, where each whole number increase represents a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and roughly 31.6 times more energy release. For spatial differences, you can determine the epicentral distance using the coordinates of each earthquake. The differences in magnitude and distance can provide insights into the relative severity and impact of the earthquakes.


What does a Richter scale measure on an earthquake?

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.

Related Questions

What is a measure of the strength of an earthquake?

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.


Is the measure of the strength of an earthquake?

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.


What is the relationship between intensity and magnitude of an and earthquake?

The intensity of an earthquake refers to the amount of shaking and damage felt at the Earth's surface, while the magnitude is a measure of the energy released at the earthquake's source. A higher magnitude earthquake will generally result in higher intensity shaking and potential damage, but factors like depth and distance from the epicenter also influence intensity.


What is the relationship between earthquakes with magnitude on the Richter scale of 1.0 and 3.0?

An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0 is 10 times stronger than an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.0 on the Richter scale. This means that the release of energy during a magnitude 3.0 earthquake is 10 times greater than that of a magnitude 2.0 earthquake.


4 How much would ground motion increase between magnitude 4.5 and 5.5 earthquakes?

Ground motion increases logarithmically with each unit increase in earthquake magnitude. Therefore, the ground motion would be approximately 10 times greater for a magnitude 5.5 earthquake compared to a magnitude 4.5 earthquake.


What are the scales in the magnitude of 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.


What is the biggest earth quake?

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.


Explain the difference between magnitude and intensity of an earthquakes?

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.


How much stronger was the Chile earthquake than the one in Haiti?

The Chile earthquake at 8.8 was about 100 times stronger than the Haiti earthquake at 6.8. The Richter scale is logarithmic. The difference between the earthquakes is 2.0, which is the logarithm of 100.


What is the difference between ML and MN magnitudes?

ML magnitude stands for local magnitude. It was developed by Charles Richter, for use in california. However, it does not apply for north eastern america. Otto Nutti (I think thats how it's spelled) from america then created the MN magnitude, Magnitude Nutti, to use in eastern Canada. However, very small earthquakes sometimes defy both of these magnitude types.


What is the most massive earthquake on record?

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.


What is the relationship between the strength of eathquakes and the earthquake frequency?

The relationship between the strength of earthquakes and their frequency is often described by the Gutenberg-Richter law, which states that smaller earthquakes occur much more frequently than larger ones. For instance, while thousands of minor earthquakes may be recorded each year, significant earthquakes (magnitude 7 or above) happen much less frequently, often on the order of once every several years. This inverse relationship means that as the magnitude of an earthquake increases, its likelihood of occurrence decreases.