Earthquakes! Richter scale

 Developed in California at Cal Tech by Charles Richter in 1935  Based on the specific rocks found there  Only measures energy released  Based on the San Andreas fault  Based on a 1-10 logarithmic scale, meaning a 5.0 is ten times larger than a 4.0 earthquake

Earthquakes! Moment Magnitude scale

 Developed by a Harvard dude named Thomas Hanks (yes, that’s Tom Hanks) in 1979  Calculates size based on the slip of the fault (or how far the ground moves) by the energy released by the earthquake (or it’s intensity)  Based on a 1-10 scale  Rarely used for baby quakes, less than 3.5

Earthquakes! Modified Mercalli scale

 Based on anecdotal evidence (like what people felt, damage to buildings, etc).  Measures intensity based on nearness to epicenter  Measures using Roman numerals I (barely felt) through XII (total destruction!)  Created from someone else’s idea (he scammed it) by Giuseppe Mercalli in 1883