The magnitude R of an earthquake of intensity I is defined as R=log(I/I0) where I0 is a minimum intensity used for comparison. An earthquake has n intensity of

Question

The magnitude R of an earthquake of intensity I is defined as R=log(I/I₀) where I₀ is a minimum intensity used for comparison. An earthquake has n intensity of 10^6.5 x I₀. What is its magnitude on the richter scale?

 

Answer 1

R = log(I/I₀)

 

where:

• R = magnitude of the quake on the Richter Scale
• I = the quake's intensity = 10^6.5*I₀
• I₀ = minimum intensity quake

 

R = log(10^6.5*I₀/I₀)

 

R = log(10^6.5)

 

R = 6.5