Richterkvarðanns

Richterkvarðanns, often translated as the Richter scale, is a logarithmic scale used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. Developed by Charles F. Richter in 1935, it quantifies the energy released at the earthquake's source. The scale is based on the amplitude of the seismic waves recorded by seismographs. For every whole number increase on the Richter scale, the amplitude of the seismic waves increases tenfold, and the energy released increases approximately 32 times. This means a magnitude 6 earthquake is 32 times more powerful than a magnitude 5, and 1024 times more powerful than a magnitude 4.

The Richter scale is a logarithmic measure, meaning it assigns a single number to represent the earthquake's size. It is important to distinguish magnitude from intensity, which describes the effects of an earthquake at a particular location. While the Richter scale was historically significant, modern seismology often uses other magnitude scales, such as the moment magnitude scale (Mw), which is considered more accurate for larger earthquakes as it is based on the total energy released. However, the Richter scale remains widely recognized and is still sometimes used for reporting moderate earthquakes.