Question

Suppose an Earthquake occurred whose center was in Richmond, VA. . If the earthquake

has a magnitude of 3.0, then it can be felt for 100km. An earthquake has to reach a
magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale, how much greater in intensity is the second
earthquake compared to the first one?

Answer 1

100

Explanation:

The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale, so the ratio of intensities is ...

(10^5)/(10^3) = 10^(5-3) = 10^2 = 100

The latter quake is 100 times as intense as the former one.