Question

(a) Find the magnitude of an earthquake that has an intensity that is 37.25 (that is, the amplitude of the seismograph reading is 37.25 cm). (Round your answer to one decimal place.)

Answer 1

Answer:

The magnitude of an earthquake is 5.6.

Explanation:

The magnitude of an earthquake can be found as follows:

$M = log(\frac{I}{S})$

Where:

I: is the intensity of the earthquake = 37.25 cm

S: is the intensity of a standard earthquake = 10⁻⁴ cm

Hence, the magnitude is:

$M = log(\frac{I}{S}) = log(\frac{37.25}{10^{-4}}) = 5.6$

Therefore, the magnitude of an earthquake is 5.6.

I hope it helps you!