Question

How many times larger is a magnitude 4 than a magnitude 1 earthquake on the Richter scale?

A) 10
B) 100
C) 3
D) 1000

Answer 1

On the Richter scale, a magnitude 4 earthquake is 1000 times larger than a magnitude 1 earthquake.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Richter scale is logarithmic, which means that each whole number increase on the scale represents a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and roughly 31.6 times more energy release. Therefore, a magnitude 4 earthquake would be 10 times larger than a magnitude 3, 100 times larger than a magnitude 2, and 1000 times larger than a magnitude 1 earthquake on the Richter scale.

Thus, the correct answer to the question is D) 1000.