2006-09-05 00:36:45 · 5 answers · asked by Claude 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Richter scale 5 releases 32000 tons of energy. Richter scale 6 releases 1 million tone of energy. People mistake the energy with shaking. The ground shaking will be more by 10 times for each Richter scale. But the energy released will be 32 times higher for each Richter scale. To know more about this subject please visit my slide show Ctrl + click URL
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2006-09-05 01:18:17 · answer #1 · answered by A.Ganapathy India 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
It's 10 times as powerful. The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale meaning that for each increase of 1 the power unleashed is 10 fold.
A magnitude 6 earthquake is 10 times as powerful as a magnitude 5 earthquake, 100 times as powerful as a magnitude 4, 1000 times as powerful as a magnitude 3 and so on.
This is a simplified way of looking at at, for a more detailed explanation and more accurate figures check... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_scale
2006-09-05 07:44:44 · answer #2 · answered by Trevor 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I seem to recall from college that perceived severity is primarily to do with proximity. Being on top of a 6 at 10km depth would not be as devastating as a 5 at 2km.
I will readily admit I have not researched the matter but it was something that made sense 20 years ago and has stuck in my mind all this time!
2006-09-05 23:51:01 · answer #3 · answered by Chris J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most people will say 10x, but that is only the amplitude (of shaking). The energy released is slightly more than 31x.
The scale is logrithmic, but there are additional factors that make the number higher than just 10.
2006-09-05 13:14:14 · answer #4 · answered by QFL 24-7 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
100 to 1000 times
2006-09-05 07:43:33 · answer #5 · answered by kristina 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋