Global HOW DO WE MEASURE THE

context MAGNITUDE OF AN EARTHQUAKE?

Statement of inquiry: Mathematics is a powerful tool for measuring natural phenomena.

Global context: Scientific and technical innovation
Key concept: Relationships
Related concepts: Model, Measurement
Objectives: Communicating, Applying mathematics in real-life contexts
Approaches to learning: Thinking, Research

The surface of the Earth is called its lithosphere. It is made of huge

slabs of rock called tectonic plates which move very slowly. Tension is
built up as these plates push against each other. An earthquake happens
when the Earth’s surface moves suddenly to release this tension. This is
often destructive, shaking buildings and trees to the ground. When the
centre of a large earthquake is located offshore, the sea bed moves, and
this sometimes causes a tsunami or tidal wave.
The deadliest earthquake recorded is the Shaanxi Earthquake of 1556 in
China, which resulted in the deaths of about 830 000 people.
The table below lists some other famous earthquakes, and describes their sizes by giving the quantity of explosives
required to release the same amount of energy.

Earthquake Quantity of explosives

Little Skull Mountain, NV, USA, 1992 80 000 tons
Double Spring Flat, NV, USA, 1992 1 million tons
Northridge, CA, USA, 1994 5 million tons
Landers, CA, USA, 1992 160 million tons
San Francisco, CA, USA, 1906 1 billion tons
Great Alaska Earthquake, AK, USA, 1964 5 billion tons
Great Chilean Earthquake, 1960 32 billion tons

American Charles Francis Richter (1900 - 1985) and German born Beno Gutenberg were seismologists who
worked together at the California Institute of Technology. In 1935 they developed the Richter scale, which is
used to measure and compare the magnitudes of earthquakes. For an earthquake which releases E kilojoules (kJ)
log10 E ¡ 3:5
of energy, the magnitude M of the earthquake is given by the formula M = .
1:5

Magnitude Description What it feels like Frequency

06M <2 micro not felt very common
26M <4 minor felt by sensitive people > 100 000 per year
46M <5 light felt by people, indoor objects shake and sometimes fall up to 15 000 per year
56M <6 moderate can damage or destroy buildings up to 1500 per year
66M <7 strong destructive in populated areas up to 150 per year
76M <8 major serious damage average 18 per year
86M <9 great serious widespread damage average 1 per year
9 6 M < 10 great widespread devastation 1 per 20 years
M > 10 epic never recorded never recorded
 How do we measure the magnitude of an earthquake? 2

Factual questions:
1 Given that 1 kg of explosives releases about 4612 kJ of energy, calculate the energy released by each
earthquake. Record your answers in scientific notation, in a table.
2 Explain the meaning of log10 E.
3 How much more powerful is a magnitude 7 earthquake than a magnitude 6 earthquake?
4 Calculate the magnitude of each of the earthquakes listed above. Present your results in a table.
5 Research the actual magnitude of these earthquakes. Explain any differences between the actual magnitudes
and your calculated values.

Conceptual questions:
6 Why is a magnitude 4 earthquake not twice as powerful as a magnitude 2 earthquake?
7 What are the advantages of using logarithms to measure the magnitude of earthquakes?
8 If 100 grams of explosives is detonated, what is the magnitude of the equivalent earthquake? Does this
answer make sense?
9 a If we know the magnitude of an earthquake, how can we find the amount of energy it released?
b Research the magnitude of a recent major earthquake. Determine the amount of energy it released.

Debatable questions:
10 Does the magnitude of an individual earthquake have meaning by itself, or is it only meaningful when
compared with other earthquakes?
11 Why is the logarithm calculation performed in base 10? Would we still get a meaningful measure of
magnitude if we performed the calculation in a different base?
12 What are the potential limitations of using mathematical formulae to measure natural phenomena?
 How do we measure the magnitude of an earthquake?
CRITERION C COMMUNICATING
Achievement
Descriptor
Level
0 The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors below.
1-2 The student is able to:
(1) use limited appropriate mathematical
language
(2) use limited forms of mathematical
representation to present information
(3) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are difficult to interpret.
3-4 The student is able to:
(1) use some appropriate mathematical
language
(2) use appropriate forms of mathematical
representation to present information
adequately
(3) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are complete
(4) adequately organise information using
a logical structure.
5-6 The student is able to:
(1) usually use appropriate mathematical
language
(2) usually use appropriate forms of
mathematical representation to present
information correctly
(3) usually move between different forms
of mathematical representation
(4) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are complete and
coherent
(5) present work that is usually organised
using a logical structure.
7-8 The student is able to:
(1) consistently use appropriate
mathematical language
(2) use appropriate forms of mathematical
representation to consistently present
information correctly
(3) move effectively between different
forms of mathematical representation
(4) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are complete, coherent,
and concise
(5) present work that is consistently
organised using a logical structure.
3
Task Descriptor
The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors below.
The student is able to:
(1) use limited appropriate mathematical
language to describe logarithmic scales
and units of measurement
(2) use limited forms of logarithmic
formulae and data tables to present
information
(3) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are difficult to interpret.
The student is able to:
(1) use some appropriate mathematical
language to describe logarithmic scales
and units of measurement
(2) use appropriate forms of logarithmic
formulae and data tables to present
information adequately
(3) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are complete
(4) adequately organise information using
a logical structure.
The student is able to:
(1) usually use appropriate mathematical
language to describe logarithmic scales
and units of measurement
(2) usually use appropriate forms of
logarithmic formulae and data tables to
present information correctly
(3) usually move between logarithmic
formulae and data tables
(4) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are complete and
coherent
(5) present work that is usually organised
using a logical structure.
The student is able to:
(1) consistently use appropriate
mathematical language to describe
logarithmic scales and units of
measurement
(2) use appropriate forms of logarithmic
formulae and data tables to present
information correctly
(3) move between logarithmic formulae and
data tables
(4) communicate through lines of
reasoning that are complete, coherent,
and concise
(5) present work that is consistently
organised using a logical structure
 How do we measure the magnitude of an earthquake?
CRITERION D APPLYING MATHEMATICS IN REAL-LIFE CONTEXTS
Achievement
Descriptor
Level
0 The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors below.
1-2 The student is able to:
(1) identify some elements of the authentic
real-life situation
(2) apply mathematical strategies to find a
solution to the authentic real-life
situation, with limited success.
3-4 The student is able to:
(1) identify the relevant elements of the
authentic real-life situation
(2) select, with some success, adequate
mathematical strategies to model the
authentic real-life situation
(3) apply mathematical strategies to reach a
solution to the authentic real-life
situation
(4) discuss whether the solution makes
sense in the context of the authentic
real-life situation.
5-6 The student is able to:
(1) identify the relevant elements of the
authentic real-life situation
(2) select adequate mathematical strategies
to model the authentic real-life situation
(3) apply the selected mathematical
strategies to reach a valid solution to
the authentic real-life situation
(4) explain the degree of accuracy of the
solution
(5) explain whether the solution makes
sense in the context of the authentic
real-life situation.
7-8 The student is able to:
(1) identify the relevant elements of the
authentic real-life situation
(2) select appropriate mathematical
strategies to model the authentic
real-life situation
(3) apply the selected mathematical
strategies to reach a correct solution to
the authentic real-life situation
(4) justify the degree of accuracy of the
solution
(5) justify whether the solution makes
sense in the context of the authentic
real-life situation.
4
Task Descriptor
The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors below.
The student is able to:
(1) identify some elements of measuring
the magnitude of earthquakes
(2) apply mathematical strategies to
measure the magnitude of earthquakes,
with limited success.
The student is able to:
(1) identify the relevant elements of
measuring the magnitude of earthquakes
(2) select, with some success, adequate
mathematical strategies to model the
magnitude of earthquakes
(3) apply mathematical strategies to
measure the magnitude of earthquakes
(4) discuss whether the solution makes
sense in the context of actual
earthquakes.
The student is able to:
(1) identify the relevant elements of
measuring the magnitude of earthquakes
(2) select adequate mathematical strategies
to model the magnitude of earthquakes
(3) apply the selected mathematical
strategies to make valid measurements
of the magnitude of earthquakes
(4) explain the degree of accuracy of the
solution
(5) explain whether the solution makes
sense in the context of actual
earthquakes.
The student is able to:
(1) identify the relevant elements of
measuring the magnitude of earthquakes
(2) select appropriate mathematical
strategies to model the magnitude of
earthquakes
(3) apply the selected mathematical
strategies to make correct measurements
of the magnitude of earthquakes
(4) justify the degree of accuracy of the
solution
(5) justify whether the solution makes
sense in the context of actual
earthquakes.