Richterskali

Richterskala, also known as the Richter magnitude scale, is a logarithmic scale used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. Developed by American seismologist Charles Francis 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 7 earthquake is roughly 32 times more powerful than a magnitude 6, and 1024 times more powerful than a magnitude 5.

The Richter scale is often confused with the Mercalli intensity scale, which measures the effects of an earthquake at a particular location, such as the level of shaking and the damage caused. The Richter magnitude, in contrast, is a single number representing the earthquake's intrinsic size, regardless of where it is felt or the damage it inflicts. While widely used historically, the Richter scale has limitations, especially for very large earthquakes, and has largely been superseded by the moment magnitude scale (Mw) by seismologists for more accurate measurements of large seismic events. However, the Richter scale remains a familiar and commonly cited measure in popular media when discussing earthquake sizes.