Earthquakes Outgrew The Richter Scale

Most seismological authorities no longer report major earthquake magnitudes using the original Richter scale. Introduced in 1979, the moment magnitude scale became the preferred method for large earthquakes because the Richter scale saturates and cannot reliably measure the strongest events. The newer scale uses rock rigidity, rupture area, and fault movement, although news reports still often call its values Richter magnitudes. The local magnitude scale remains in use for smaller nearby earthquakes.

Previous Fact Next Fact