Video Transcript
What is an earthquake’s magnitude a
measure of? (A) The duration of the
earthquake. (B) The surface damage caused by
the earthquake. (C) The number of seismic waves
produced by the earthquake. (D) The total amount of strain
energy released from the earthquake’s source.
The magnitude or size of an
earthquake is the measure of the total amount of energy released by an
earthquake. The magnitude of an earthquake is
quantitatively measured using the Richter scale developed by Charles Richter in
1935. The Richter scale ranges from zero
to nine. However, earthquakes have been
recorded with a magnitude greater than nine. The Richter scale should not be
confused with the Mercalli scale, which measures the surface damage resulting from
an earthquake or an earthquake’s intensity.
In conclusion, an earthquake’s
magnitude is a measure of the total amount of strain energy released from the
earthquake’s source.
