Richter magnitude scale
E12175
The Richter magnitude scale is a logarithmic scale used to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake based on instrumental measurements.
Aliases (3)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
logarithmic scale
→
scientific measurement scale → seismic magnitude scale → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Richter scale
→
local magnitude scale → |
| appliesTo |
local earthquakes
→
|
| assumes |
similar attenuation characteristics as Southern California
→
|
| basedOn |
instrumental measurements
→
maximum amplitude of seismic waves → |
| calibratedFor |
100 km epicentral distance
→
shallow earthquakes → |
| category |
logarithmic intensity scales in earth sciences
→
|
| comparedWith |
Mercalli intensity scale
→
|
| definedUsing |
Wood–Anderson torsion seismometer
→
|
| developedBy |
Beno Gutenberg
→
Charles Francis Richter → |
| differenceFrom |
Mercalli intensity scale measures observed effects, not energy
→
|
| domain |
earthquake engineering
→
geophysics → |
| field |
seismology
→
|
| influencedBy |
earlier magnitude concepts of Beno Gutenberg
→
|
| limitation |
less accurate for very large earthquakes
→
region-dependent calibration → |
| logarithmBase |
10
→
|
| lowerLimit |
negative magnitudes possible for very small events
→
|
| measures |
earthquake magnitude
→
seismic energy release → |
| namedAfter |
Charles Francis Richter
→
|
| oftenConfusedWith |
moment magnitude scale
→
|
| originallyDefinedFor |
Southern California
→
|
| property |
each whole number step corresponds to about 31.6 times more energy release
→
each whole number step represents tenfold increase in wave amplitude → |
| publicationYear |
1935
→
|
| quantifies |
size of seismic events
→
|
| range |
approximately 0 to 9 and above
→
|
| regionSpecific |
Southern California crustal structure
→
|
| relatedTo |
seismic moment
→
seismograph readings → |
| scaleType |
base-10 logarithmic
→
|
| status |
largely obsolete for modern large-earthquake reporting
→
|
| stillUsedFor |
historical earthquake records
→
public communication → |
| supersededBy |
Mw scale
→
moment magnitude scale → |
| symbol |
ML
→
|
| unit |
magnitude unit (dimensionless)
→
|
| usedFor |
comparing earthquake sizes
→
earthquake cataloging → |
Referenced by (11)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Mercalli intensity scale
→
Modified Mercalli intensity scale → |
differentFrom |
|
Beno Gutenberg
→
Charles Francis Richter → |
notableWork |
|
Richter magnitude scale
("Richter scale")
→
|
alsoKnownAs |
|
Beno Gutenberg
→
|
coDeveloperOf |
|
Charles Francis Richter
→
|
developed |
|
Wood–Anderson torsion seismometer
("original Richter magnitude scale")
→
|
formsBasisOf |
|
Wood–Anderson torsion seismometer
→
|
hasKeyRoleIn |
|
Wood–Anderson torsion seismometer
("Richter scale")
→
|
relatedTo |
|
moment magnitude scale
("Richter magnitude scale for large earthquakes")
→
|
replaced |