What exactly is a Richter Scale?

Question

What exactly is a Richter Scale?

Answer 1

That is the scale of measurement to find the energy released during earthquakes from the point called focus.The epicenter is an imaginary point on earth surface above the focus point.This was invented in the year 1935 by Mr Char less Richter in Pasadena. He found a way to measure the energy release from sitting in different places with the use of seismograph machine. This machine will record the arrival time of different waves and the amplitude of shaking.The arrival time of S wave minus P wave in seconds multiplied by 8 will give you the distance of focus point in K/M. The distance and the maximum amplitude is taken for calculation purpose.See the chart below for the energy release for each Richter scale.It is an open ended scale.No upper limit for it. The maximum so far recorded was only up to 9.5.The energy release will increase by 31.7 times higher for each scale and the shaking will increase by ten times only for each Richter scale.

Approximate TNT (Tri nitro telecom )  Yield for Seismic Energy                    

                       Richter scale

                                   1                     30 lbs  

                                   2. 1 ton

     3. 29 ton

     4. 1000 ton

     5. 32000 ton

     6. 1 million ton

     7. 32 million ton

     8. 1 billion ton

     9. 32 billion ton

    10 1 trillion ton.

Answer 2

It is measurement of the energy released by an earthquake.  It is a logarithmic scale so that each number is 1000 times more than the previous.  In other words, a magnitude 5 on the Richter Scale is 1000 times more powerful than a magnitude 4 earthquake.

Answer 3

Right. Named for Charles Richter, who was an avid nudist.