2006-08-24 10:45:44 · 15 answers · asked by JOHN B 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
i think it goes to ten
2006-08-24 10:51:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
10
2006-08-24 17:46:59 · answer #2 · answered by sallybowles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no limit, but a category 10 or above would be virtually impossible. On the "Richter" scale, the magnitude of a quake is proportional to the length of faultline that gives way. There are no fault lines which could produce a magnitude 10 quake...the only thing which could cause that would be a large asteroid hitting the planet. Once you get to 11 on the scale you're pretty much talking about the planet cracking in half.
Funny, the guy who quoted the wikipedia link either never read the information or didn't undertand it. There is no limit defined on that webpage. Every increase of one on the scale means a quake ten times stronger...not that the limit is ten.
2006-08-24 20:13:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Richter scale is not a direct measurement. It tells you the energy released at the point of focus.It is an open ended scale .There is no upper limit for it. But there are some other meaning full scale like MM scale. The upper limit for this is 12. In Richter scale the energy released one to another is 32 times. The shaking sensed by seismograph is only ten times more for one to another number.Richter scale will not give the amount of destruction. Only the MM scale will give the amount of destruction. But no instrument is needed to find the MM scale. Only by the observation of the people decides this. For a same earthquake the MM scale vary from place to place. But theoretically speaking the Richter scale will not vary when it is measured from any distance for an earthquake.
2006-08-25 03:03:33 · answer #4 · answered by A.Ganapathy India 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The scale is open-ended in the same way the scale of human height is open ended: You can count metres for ever, but that doesn't mean there is no limit to how tall a person can be.
By my calculations, you would need a fault stretching halfway round the world (20,000km), with a rupture surface 20km deep, slipping about a kilometre, to generate a 10!!
2006-08-25 04:24:53 · answer #5 · answered by Paul FB 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Richter scale is open ended -- it's a measure of the motion in the earthquake. However, the biggest earthquake ever recorded is about 9.5, and most people believe it's not possible to get much bigger, since no rocks are strong enough to hold the stress that would be required -- the rocks will always fail and start to move before any more stress can build up.
2006-08-24 17:50:06 · answer #6 · answered by KimballKinnison 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
1. It's called Richter scale; and,
2. It's open-ended, which means it has no end.
2006-08-24 20:24:12 · answer #7 · answered by idiot detector 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
up to 10.a 10 is when the world splits apart
2006-08-24 17:52:14 · answer #8 · answered by smitmeister_99 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
10 I think
2006-08-24 17:51:47 · answer #9 · answered by Michelle 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its goes from 0 to 10
For a lot of detail of which each category on the scale means see here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale
2006-08-24 17:50:51 · answer #10 · answered by Steve C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is 10, but you probably wouldnt be around to find that one out
2006-08-26 08:50:28 · answer #11 · answered by cornishmaid 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋