Magnitude and Energy

- The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the magnitude of an earthquake.
- Each whole number increase on the Richter scale represents a tenfold increase in the amplitude of the seismic waves produced by the earthquake.
- The amplitude of the seismic waves is directly related to the amount of energy released by the earthquake.

Magnitude 6 and Magnitude 4

- A magnitude 6 earthquake has a tenfold higher amplitude than a magnitude 4 earthquake.
- This means that the seismic waves produced by a magnitude 6 earthquake are ten times larger than those produced by a magnitude 4 earthquake.
- Since the energy released by an earthquake is directly related to the amplitude of the seismic waves, a magnitude 6 earthquake releases 10^2 or 100 times more energy than a magnitude 4 earthquake.

Calculating Destructive Energy

- The energy released by an earthquake is measured in terms of joules or ergs.
- The Richter scale does not directly measure energy, but it provides a relative measure of the energy released by different earthquakes.
- To calculate the energy released by an earthquake, we can use the following equation:
- Energy = 10^(1.5 * magnitude + 4.8)

Magnitude 6 and Magnitude 4 Energy Comparison

- Using the above equation, we can calculate the energy released by a magnitude 6 earthquake:
- Energy = 10^(1.5 * 6 + 4.8) = 10^9.8
- Similarly, we can calculate the energy released by a magnitude 4 earthquake:
- Energy = 10^(1.5 * 4 + 4.8) = 10^7.8
- Now, let's compare the two energies:
- Energy of magnitude 6 earthquake = 10^9.8
- Energy of magnitude 4 earthquake = 10^7.8
- Taking the ratio of these energies:
- Ratio = (10^9.8) / (10^7.8) = 10^2
- The ratio is equal to 100, which means that a magnitude 6 earthquake has 100 times more destructive energy than a magnitude 4 earthquake.

Conclusion

- An earthquake of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale has 100 times more destructive energy than an earthquake of magnitude 4.
- This shows that as the magnitude of an earthquake increases, the amount of destructive energy released also increases exponentially.