The End of the Richter Scale: How Today’s Science Measures Earthquakes | by Thee TM Soontornsing | April 2025
Ever heard someone say, “That was a 7 on the Richter scale”? Here’s the truth: seismologists haven’t used the Richter scale in decades. This outdated measurement has been replaced by the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw), which provides a more accurate understanding of an earthquake’s energy release. “Understanding how earthquakes are measured affects everything from building … Read more