Inhoudsopgave
Waar is de schaal van Richter op gebaseerd?
De schaal is in 1935 ontworpen door de Amerikaanse seismoloog Charles Richter (1900-1985) en is gebaseerd op de sterkte van de trillingen, zoals die gemeten worden op een (specifiek) seismogram. De schaal, die geen aanwijzing is voor mogelijke gevolgen van een beving, is logaritmisch.
Hoeveel was de schaal van Richter?
Een benadering van de schaal van Richter
| Magnitude en beschrijving | Energie | |
|---|---|---|
| joule TNT-equivalent | Vergelijkbaar met | |
| 5 t/m 5,9 Vrij krachtig | 2 TJ – 62 TJ 0,5 – 14 kiloton TNT | |
| 6 t/m 6,9 Krachtig | 63 TJ – 1,9 PJ 15 – 490 kiloton TNT | middelgroot kernwapen zoals Fat Man |
| 7 t/m 7,9 Zwaar | 2 PJ – 62 PJ 0,5 – 14 megaton TNT | groot kernwapen |
What is the Richter scale?
Charles Richter originally developed a scale to categorise the energy released from earthquakes in California as recorded on a Wood-Anderson torsion seismograph. A magnitude Zero earthquake was defined as one that generated 1 micrometer of horizontal displacement at 100km from the earthquake’s epicentre.
Why are very large earthquakes measured on the Richter scale?
Very large earthquakes that measure more than 7.0 on the Richter scale often cannot be measured precisely using this method because the energy released has a lower frequency but a broader range of power. For this reason, scientists now utilize more precise and advanced measurement methods.
What is a zero magnitude earthquake?
A magnitude Zero earthquake was defined as one that generated 1 micrometer of horizontal displacement at 100km from the earthquake’s epicentre. This is why you can have negative magnitude earthquakes.
How does the SRC calculate earthquake magnitudes?
Since the SRC started monitoring earthquakes in 1976, we have used a standard Richter-method formula to calculate earthquake magnitudes, using a function to replicate the look-up table traditionally used to compensate for the distance of the earthquake from the seismograph.