PREDO'S SCIENCE 101

MAGNITUDE
RICHTER SCALE
Prepared by: Alfredo Luis H. Ejera
DISCUSSION OUTLINE
OBJECTIVE

To explore and define Magnitude

To know what Richter Scale is and it's use
EARTHQUAKE
EARTHQUAKE
Earthquake is defined as a
natural shaking of the
earths lithosphere
caused by the release of
energy stored in the
lithospheric rocks that then
creates seismic waves
MAGNITUDE
-the amount of energy
released from the focus of
an earthquake
MAGNITUDE
MAGNITUDE IS A
MEASURE OF AN
EARTHQUAKES
SIZE AND DOES
NOT CHANGE
MAGNITUDE IS THE NUMBER ITSELF
5 5

MANILA MANILA
MAGNITUDE MEANS HOW FAR AND HOW MUCH
M
A
G MAGNITUDE
N CHARACTERIZES THE
I
T
RELATIVE SIZE AND ENERGY
U OF AN EARTHQUAKE
D
E
 MAGNITUDE
Magnitude examples in earthquakes:
CHILE 1960
-the largest earthquake ever recorded
in the 20th century.
The earthquake has a recorded
magnitude of 9.5, the strongest
magnitude recorded ever in the
20th century
MAGNITUDE 9.5
Devastating
Several thousands kilometers
Total devastation
Changes in ground topography
MAGNITUDE EQUIVALENT TNT
9.5

500
MILLION OF
TONS!
 DIFFERENCE OF MAGNITUDE AND INTENSITY

Magnitude - the Intensity - it

measure of size and determines the effects
energy released at the on people, structures,
source of the and the environment.
earthquake
MAGNITUDE INTENSITY
 EPICENTER
HYPOCENTER

EPICENTER HYPOCENTER

IS THE POINT IS THE POINT

DIRECTLY ABOVE
DIFFERENCE WITHIN THE
THE HYPOCENTER EARTH WHERE AN
OR WHERE THE EARTHQUAKE
RUPTURE STARTS RUPTURE STARTS
Born in 26 April 1900- 30 september
1985
Charles F. Richter
Is an American seismologist and
physicist most famous for the
creation of the Richter magnitude
scale.
Born in 26 April 1900- 30 september
1985
 RICHTER SCALE

-Is an apparatus that indicates

the magnitude of an
earthquake, it uses a logarithm
that interprets the wave
amplitudes on a seismogram.
In Richter's Logarithmic system, every whole
number value listed in the magnitude Scale
indicates an amount of energy that is 31 times
more than the amount of energy represented by
the preceding whole number
EXAMPLE

Magnitude 8

N 31 X MORE THAN N
EXAMPLE

Magnitude 8
31 TIMES STRONGER
THAN N 31 X MORE THAN N
MANITUDE 7
LOGARITHM
-the exponent or power to which
a base must be raised to yield a
given number
1000 = 10x10x10 = 10^3
LOGARITHM BASE 10
log-3
OF 1000 = 3
base-10
or
log10(1000)=3
RICHTER

SCALE
HOW DO RICHTER
SCALE WORK?
Richter scale is not actually the apparatus
that is used get the measurement, rather
it is the one who calculates the
measurement recorded by a siesmograph
"Everything is theoretically

impossible until it's done"

ALBERT EINSTEIN