GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

EARTHQUAKES

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Which scale replaced the Richter scale and is said to be more reliable?
A
Mercalli Scale
B
Seismometer
C
Moment Magnitude Scale
D
The ultimate earthquake scale
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Unfortunately, many scales, such as the Richter scale, do not provide accurate estimates for large magnitude earthquakes. Today the moment magnitude scale, abbreviated MW, is preferred because it works over a wider range of earthquake sizes and is applicable globally.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Richter Scale It was replaced with the Moment Magnitude Scale, which records all the different seismic waves from an earthquake to seismographs across the world. Richter’s equations are still used for forecasting future earthquakes and calculating earthquake hazards.

Detailed explanation-3: -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-4: -Richter Scale is mostly effective for regional earthquakes no greater than M5. Moment Magnitude is more effective for large earthquakes Moment Magnitude uses more variables to calculate the energy released using seismic moment. Seismic moment combines the seismic energy with offset on the fault and rigidity of rock.

Detailed explanation-5: -The main reason why the moment magnitude scale is the most reliable method of calculating the relative size of large earthquakes is that its underlying calculation process avoids the problem of magnitude saturation, because it is based on measurements of an earthquake’s total energy.

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