Quote:
Originally Posted by JWS
What was Northridge? 7.1. As I understand it, each .1 is 10 times the previous level.
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No, the moment magnitude was
6.7, according to the USGS:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/...1994_01_17.php
The magnitude scales are logarithmic, as you noted. But the difference in energy release is about 32 times from one magnitude to the next highest. In other words, a magnitude 7.0 quake releases about 32 times the energy of a magnitude 6.0 quake. A magnitude 8.0 quake releases more than 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 6.0 quake (32 x 32).