Question

According to seismologists, an earthquake that registers 2 on the Richter scale is hardly perceptible, while and earthquake that measures 5 on this scale is capable of shattering windows and dishes and is generally classified as "minor". The San Francisco earthquake in 1989 caused great damage and registered 7.1 on the Richter scale.

Richter scale: M=2/3logE-2.9 M is magnitude and E is energy in Joules

a.) Compare the energy release of the San Francisco earthquake to a level 5 minor earthquake; calculate the ratio of their released energies.

b.) If an earthquake releases ten times as much energy as the San Francisco earthquake, what would it measure on the Richter scale?

c.) If an earthquake releases twice as much energy as the San Francisco earthquake, what would it measure on the Richter scale?

Answer 1

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