EARTH SCIENCE
EARTHQUAKES
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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8
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32
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100
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1000
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Detailed explanation-1: -While each whole number increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in the measured amplitude, it represents an 32 times more energy release.
Detailed explanation-2: -An M6. 0 is 1, 000 times bigger than an M3.
Detailed explanation-3: -In terms of energy, an earthquake of magnitude 6 releases about 30 times more energy than an earthquake of magnitude 5 and about 1, 000 times more energy than an earthquake of magnitude 4.
Detailed explanation-4: -This relationship was only meant to work for fairly big (M > 5) earthquakes. Plug magnitude values of 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0 into the equation above. The energy released by an M5 earthquake is about 2.8 x 1012 joules. An M6 earthquake releases 7.8 x 1013 joules, and an M7 radiates 2.1 x 1015 joules.