Final answer:
Magnitude 5 earthquakes on the Richter scale are moderate and can cause damage if near populated areas. The magnitude measures the energy and amplitude of seismic waves, reflecting the earthquake's potential destructiveness.
Step-by-step explanation:
Earthquakes of magnitude 5 on the Richter scale are considered to be moderate. The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale used to quantify the energy released by an earthquake. The numbers on the scale represent a quake's amplitude and the energy it carries, with each whole number increase corresponding to a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and roughly 31.6 times more energy release. A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause damage if it occurs near a populated area.
An earthquake's destructive effect is palpable evidence of the energy carried in seismic waves, and this can lead to the destruction of buildings and infrastructure, create fires, slope failures, liquefaction, and even tsunamis. The relationship between earthquakes and plate tectonics is that most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries, where the Earth's tectonic plates interact.