What does the Richter magnitude scale depend on?

What does the Richter magnitude scale depend on?

The Richter scale and how it measures earthquake magnitude. The Richter scale calculates an earthquake’s magnitude (size) from the amplitude of the earthquake’s largest seismic wave recorded by a seismograph.

Are magnitude and Richter Scale the same?

Intensity: The severity of earthquake shaking is assessed using a descriptive scale – the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Magnitude: Earthquake size is a quantitative measure of the size of the earthquake at its source. The Richter Magnitude Scale measures the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake.

What 2 pieces of information do you need to figure the Richter magnitude of an earthquake?

A better measure of the size of an earthquake is the amount of energy released by the earthquake, which is related to the Richter Scale by the following equation: Log E = 11.8 + 1.5 M (where Log refers to the logarithm to the base 10, E is the energy released in ergs and M the Richter magnitude).

How is Richter scale magnitude calculated?

The Richter scale defines the magnitude of an earthquake to be R=log(IcIn) where Ic is the intensity of the earthquake and In is the intensity of a standard earthquake.

Does the Richter scale have a limit?

Although the Richter Scale has no upper limit, the largest known shocks have had magnitudes in the 8.8 to 8.9 range. Recently, another scale called the moment magnitude scale has been devised for more precise study of great earthquakes./span>

How big does an earthquake have to be to feel it?

The magnitude, location, and depth of an earthquake, and overlying soil conditions determine how widely and strongly any particular event can be felt. Typically, people report feeling earthquakes larger than about magnitude 3.0.

What is the difference between a shallow earthquake and a deep earthquake?

Shallow-focus earthquakes occur at depths less than 70 km, while deep-focus earthquakes occur at greater focal depths of 300 – 700 km. Less energy is released during a shallow focus earthquakes, while tremendous energy accumulates during a deep focus earthquake.

What does a shallow earthquake mean?

Shallow earthquakes are between 0 and 70 km deep; intermediate earthquakes, 70 – 300 km deep; and deep earthquakes, 300 – 700 km deep. In general, the term “deep-focus earthquakes” is applied to earthquakes deeper than 70 km. Previously, all earthquakes were considered to have shallow focal depths.

What do shallow earthquakes indicate?

Earthquakes are labeled “shallow” if they occur at less than 50 kilometers depth. They are labeled “deep” if they occur at 300-700 kilometers depth. When slippage occurs during these earthquakes, the faults weaken. How this fault weakening takes place is central to understanding earthquake sliding./span>

Do shallow earthquakes occur at divergent boundaries?

Shallow, low-magnitude earthquakes commonly occur at divergent plate boundaries. This causes the crust to crack and form faults where earthquakes occur. Most earthquakes at divergent plate boundaries occur at mid-ocean ridges where two pieces of oceanic crust are moving away from each other.

Where do most shallow earthquake originate?

Most parts of the world experience at least occasional shallow earthquakes—those that originate within 60 km (40 miles) of the Earth’s outer surface.