Earthquake Magnitude Scale | Michigan Technological University (2024)

FAQs

Has there ever been a 10.0 earthquake? ›

No fault long enough to generate a magnitude 10 earthquake is known to exist, and if it did, it would extend around most of the planet. The largest earthquake ever recorded was a magnitude 9.5 on May 22, 1960 in Chile on a fault that is almost 1,000 miles long…a “megaquake” in its own right.

It depends on other variables, such as the distance from the earthquake, what type of soil you are on, building construction, etc. That being said, damage does not usually occur until the earthquake magnitude reaches somewhere above 4 or 5.

The magnitude and effect of an earthquake, according to Michigan Technological University: Below 2.5: Generally not felt. 2.5 to 5.4: Minor or no damage. 5.5 to 6.0: Slight damage to buildings.

Earth Science FAQs - Geology and Tectonics

According to the USGS, earthquakes of magnitude 10 or larger cannot happen. The largest earthquake ever recorded was a magnitude 9.5. It occurred in 1960 near Valdivia, Chile, where the Nazca plate subducts under the South American plate.

The magnitude, location, and depth of an earthquake, and overlying soil conditions determine how widely and strongly any particular event can be felt. Typically, people report feeling earthquakes larger than about magnitude 3.0.

With a magnitude of 9.5, the earthquake was the most powerful such event of the 20th century. Other recent earthquakes have caused more damage and loss of life, however.

Moderate: 5 - 5.9

Getty Images A moderate earthquake registers between 5 and 5.9 on the Richter scale and causes slight damage to buildings and other structures. There are about 500 of these around the globe every year.

Although New York City does not sit on a major fault line, earthquakes can and have affected our area, and residents should be prepared.

The area within 100km radius of New York City has an intermediate level of seismic activity, more than what is observed in central New York State. It is not as seismically active as California which is located at a transform plate boundary, however large and damaging earthquakes do occur.

Are earthquakes increasing? ›

Today, earthquakes are becoming more frequent and more severe as a result of global warming. While earthquakes cause tsunamis, new research is revealing that vast storms like hurricanes, along with other events brought on by climate change, can lead to an increase in seismic activity and thereby cause more earthquakes.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake on Richter scale is equivalent to release of energy by 25,000 nuclear bombs. So a 10.0 magnitude earthquake will be analogous to dropping over 4,00,000 nuclear bombs at a time. This is enough to destroy anything and everything on earth if it is a point source on the surface.

1 – Valdivia, Chile, 1960

The biggest earthquake ever recorded occurred in 1960 near the city of Valdivia, Chile. With a magnitude of 9.5, it was one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, killing an estimated 5,700. The quake struck at around 15:00 local time and lasted for 10 minutes.

Magnitude is expressed in whole numbers and decimal fractions. For example, a magnitude 5.3 is a moderate earthquake, and a 6.3 is a strong earthquake. Because of the logarithmic basis of the scale, each whole number increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in measured amplitude as measured on a seismogram.

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake on Richter scale is equivalent to release of energy by 25,000 nuclear bombs. So a 10.0 magnitude earthquake will be analogous to dropping over 4,00,000 nuclear bombs at a time. This is enough to destroy anything and everything on earth if it is a point source on the surface.

It's doubtful that there are any fault lines on Earth big enough to release a magnitude 10 earthquake, but if one happened, you could expect the ground to shake just as hard as a magnitude 9, but for a lot longer – perhaps as much as 30 minutes.

Some scientist have proved that earth may not be able to hold 12 or more magnitude of earthquake. I may destroy an entire continent. An earthquake of magnitude 12 itself will be catastrophic with a potential to render a complete change in topography rendering ocean to hills and hills to ocean.