What Is The Richter Scale?

The Richter Scale Rating.


The Richter scale was invented in 1935, by a man named Charles F. Richter. This scale is used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes.e scale, more formally known as the Richter magnitude test scale, ranges from 0 to over 8.0. It is a logarithmic scale, meaning each unit increase on the scale corresponds to an absolute increase by an order of magnitude, or factor of 10.Earthquakes dont become newsworthy until it hits about 5, at magnitudes of 7.0 or 8.0 the damage can be catastrophic.The magnitude of an earthquake is measured using a seismometer. The original Richter scale was based on a particular sort of seismometer.

Seismographs:


During an earthquake, vibrations caused by the breakage of rock along a fault zone radiate outward from the point of rupture. What measures the vibrations is called a seismographs. Traditional seismographs consisted of a sensing element, called a seismometer, an amplifier, and a hardcopy display unit often using photographic or heat-sensitive paper.