Final answer:
The magnitude 8.8 earthquake was approximately 1,377.6 times more intense than the magnitude 5.4 earthquake.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale used to measure the intensity or magnitude of earthquakes. The scale is based on the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by seismographs.
Each whole number increase on the Richter scale represents a tenfold increase in the amplitude of the seismic waves and approximately 31.6 times more energy released.
In this case, the difference in magnitude between the two earthquakes is 8.8 - 5.4 = 3.4. To calculate how many times more intense the magnitude 8.8 earthquake was, we can use the fact that each whole number increase on the Richter scale represents approximately 31.6 times more energy released. Therefore, the magnitude 8.8 earthquake was approximately 31.6^3.4 = 1,377.6 times more intense than the magnitude 5.4 earthquake.