Question

The amount of energy released when going from a magnitude 4 to a magnitude 5 earthquake is _______ greater.

a. 10 times
b. 31.6 times
c. 100 times
d. 316 times

Answer 1

The amount of energy released when going from a magnitude 4 to a magnitude 5 earthquake is 100 times greater.

Step-by-step explanation:

The amount of energy released when going from a magnitude 4 to a magnitude 5 earthquake is c. 100 times greater.

The magnitude of an earthquake is determined using the Richter scale, which is logarithmic. Each whole number increase on the Richter scale represents a tenfold increase in amplitude and approximately 31.6 times more energy released.

Therefore, going from magnitude 4 to magnitude 5 is 10 times greater in amplitude and approximately 31.6 times more energy released, which is closest to the option c. 100 times.