Richter scale

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/richter-scale

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scale type?Logarithmic scale for measuring earthquake local magnitude (ML)
2. What is the primary developers?Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg
3. How does the Richter scale use numbers to show earthquake strength?Each whole number on the scale means the shaking is ten times bigger than the previous number, so a magnitude 5 earthquake shakes the ground ten times more than a magnitude 4.
4. Why does the Richter scale use a logarithmic system?Because earthquakes can be very tiny or very huge, a logarithmic scale keeps the numbers manageable and lets scientists compare all kinds of earthquakes easily.

Seismic Waves: Vibrations that travel through the Earth as a result of an earthquake or explosion.
Amplitude: The maximum displacement or distance moved by a point on a vibrating body or wave measured from its equilibrium position.
Seismic Moment: A measure of the physical size of an earthquake, calculated from the rigidity of the rock, the area of the fault that slipped, and the amount of slip.
Seismology: The scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth.