GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -In particular, for very large earthquakes, moment magnitude gives the most reliable estimate of earthquake size. Moment is a physical quantity proportional to the slip on the fault multiplied by the area of the fault surface that slips; it is related to the total energy released in the earthquake.

Detailed explanation-2: -The moment magnitude scale is based on the total moment release of the earthquake. Moment is a product of the distance a fault moved and the force required to move it. It is derived from modeling recordings of the earthquake at multiple stations.

Detailed explanation-3: -Answer. Answer: Moment magnitude measures the size of events in terms of how much energy is released. Specifically, moment magnitude relates to the amount of movement by rock (i.e. the distance of movement along a fault or fracture) and the area of the fault or fracture surface.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the largest jolt of energy released by an earthquake. The moment magnitude scale is a logarithmic scale that measures the total amount of energy released by an earthquake.

Detailed explanation-5: -Moment Magnitude (MW) is based on physical properties of the earthquake derived from an analysis of all the waveforms recorded from the shaking. First the seismic moment is computed, and then it is converted to a magnitude designed to be roughly equal to the Richter Scale in the magnitude range where they overlap.