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The Richter scale [1] (/ ˈ r ɪ k t ər /), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, [2] is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and presented in Richter's landmark 1935 paper, where he called it the "magnitude scale". [3]
All magnitude scales retain the logarithmic scale as devised by Charles Richter, and are adjusted so the mid-range approximately correlates with the original "Richter" scale. [8] Most magnitude scales are based on measurements of only part of an earthquake's seismic wave-train, and therefore are incomplete.
A pie chart comparing the seismic moment release of the three largest earthquakes for the hundred-year period from 1906 to 2005 with that for all earthquakes of magnitudes <6, 6 to 7, 7 to 8, and >8 for the same period. The 2011 Japan quake would be roughly similar to Sumatra. Earthquakes of magnitude 8.0 and greater from 1900 to 2018.
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami (Spanish: Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake (Gran terremoto de Chile) on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Most studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale , [ 1 ] while some studies have placed the magnitude lower than 9.4.
2006 Kuril Islands earthquake and tsunami – magnitude 8.3 earthquake, no injuries or fatalities anywhere; 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami – magnitude 8.0 earthquake with an epicenter 120 miles (190 km) southwest of American Samoa generated tsunami waves up to 16 feet (5 m), killing 34 people in American Samoa and causing extensive damage [39]
The temblor, which measured 4.8 on the Richter scale, was considered a shallow earthquake by the U.S. Geological Survey, meaning that it occurred at a depth of zero to 70 kilometers below ground.
In the Himalayan region, where the Indian plate subducts under the Eurasian plate, the largest recorded earthquake was the 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, at magnitude 8.7. It is estimated that earthquakes with magnitude 9.0 or larger are expected to occur at an interval of every 800 years, with the highest boundary being a magnitude 10, though ...
The Dogger Bank earthquake of 1931 is the strongest earthquake recorded in the United Kingdom since measurements began. It had a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, and it caused a shaking intensity of VI (Strong) to VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli intensity scale.