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Earthquakes Magnitude facts

While investigating facts about Earthquakes Magnitude Scale and Earthquakes Magnitude And Intensity, I found out little known, but curios details like:

The Japanese bullet train system is equipped with a network of sensitive seismometers. On March 11, 2011, one of the seismometers detected an 8.9 magnitude earthquake 12 seconds before it hit and sent a stop signal to 33 trains. As a result, only one bullet train derailed that day.

how is the moment magnitude scale used to describe earthquakes?

During a 2001 Seattle earthquake, a floral image was drawn in sand by a pendulum. Researchers believed it was formed by the initial 6.8 magnitude tremor & the outer lines were etched during the aftershock. They were going to make a mold of the pattern but a 3-year-old accidentally kicked it over

What is an earthquakes magnitude?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what does magnitude mean in earthquakes. Here are 50 of the best facts about Earthquakes Magnitude 9 and Earthquakes Magnitude 8 Or Higher I managed to collect.

with regard to earthquakes what distinguishes intensity from magnitude?

  1. After an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, nearly all newborn babies survived a collapsed hospital. They are known as "Miracle Babies" for surviving 7 days without nourishment, water, warmth or human contact.

  2. The Forbidden City, built in 1420, was so well-designed that it withstood over 200 earthquakes and can withstand one with magnitude 10.1 on the Richter scale.

  3. Earthquakes can permanently alter the length of a day. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan accelerated Earth's spin, shortening the length of a 24-hour day by 1.8 microseconds.

  4. The magnitude 9.0 great earthquake that struck Japan on 11 March 2011 "was so powerful that its rumble was 'heard' from space. Scientists in France and the Netherlands have found that sound waves from the quake reached as far as an orbiting satellite [GOCE], 260 kilometres [161.6 miles] above."

  5. When an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, a hospital collapsed but nearly all the babies survived. They are known as the "miracle babies" for surviving 7 days without nourishment, water, warmth or human contact.

  6. A magnitude 15 earthquake on the Richter scale would destroy the planet.

  7. Japan is about 8 feet closer to the US, caused by the magnitude 8.9 earthquake in 2011. It was Japan’s largest earthquake and the 4th most powerful in global recorded history.

  8. An earthquake can have a negative magnitude

  9. Some of the most powerful known earthquakes in the continental U.S. occurred in Missouri between December 1811 & February 1812. Multiple quakes occurred with a magnitude of 7.5 or greater shaking an area ten times larger than that affected by the magnitude 7.8 San Francisco earthquake of 1906

  10. 8 months ago, the U.S. military and troops from 20 countries practiced responding to an 8.2 magnitude Earthquake- in Nepal.

earthquakes magnitude facts
What is the magnitude scale for earthquakes?

Earthquakes Magnitude data charts

For your convenience take a look at Earthquakes Magnitude figures with stats and charts presented as graphic.

earthquakes magnitude fact data chart about 1,105 earthquakes have been felt in Puerto Rico since Decemb
1,105 earthquakes have been felt in Puerto Rico since December 28th. From those, 96 have been felt and 66 have been > 3.5 in magnitude. The island is under a state of emergency.

earthquakes magnitude fact data chart about The magnitude score of the earthquakes happening in Puerto R
The magnitude score of the earthquakes happening in Puerto Rico

Why is the moment magnitude scale useful in measuring earthquakes?

You can easily fact check why do earthquakes have different magnitudes by examining the linked well-known sources.

On 1910, the Mayor of Istanbul exiled 80,000 stray dogs to a small island for them to die. Soon later, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake occured, which people perceived as a punishment from God for the dogs' exile, and the surviving dogs were brought back.

In 1957 another San Francisco earthquake occurred, with a magnitude of 5.7

The magnitude-8.9 earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 distributed so much mass it managed to tilt the Earth's orbit a tiny bit, effectively shortening a day by couple of millionths of a second. - source

The most powerful earthquake ever recorded had a magnitude of 9.5 and occurred in Chile.

A company called Terra Vivos is developing a network of autonomous post-apocalyptic communities around the world in "underground complexes made to withstand anything from a 20-megaton nuclear blast or 1,250-degree fire to 450-mph winds or a magnitude-10 earthquake." - source

Has australia experienced earthquakes where when magnitude devastation?

The presence of the asthenosphere was suspected as far back as 1926. It wasn"t confirmed until after the Great Chilean earthquake of 1960. The earthquake reached 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale. Analysis of the earthquake waves confirmed the presence of the asthenosphere.

How often do magnitude 9 earthquakes occur?

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico damaged a 13th century Aztec Pyramid but in the process revealed an even older temple inside.

In 1857 the Fort Tejon earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.9, located near Parkfield, killed two people.

The Trans-Canada pipeline was built in a zone with earthquakes, so it was built to be fully articulating, moving up to 20 feet horizontally and 5 feet vertically. When a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck and moved the pipeline 14 feet horizontally and 2.5 feet vertically, the pipeline survived.

A 4.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded on March 20th, beginning a watch for further activity 24 hours a day.

Oklahoma has experienced 907 magnitude 3+ Earthquakes in 2015, and only 109 in 2013

Earthquakes magnitude infographics

Beautiful visual representation of Earthquakes Magnitude numbers and stats to get perspecive of the whole story.

earthquakes magnitude fact infographic about Correlation between the popularity of the search term "Puert

Correlation between the popularity of the search term "Puerto Rico" (Google Trends) and the max magnitude of the recent earthquakes happening there


earthquakes magnitude fact infographic about Earthquakes across the globe this week, visualized by magnit

Earthquakes across the globe this week, visualized by magnitude and age.


What is the difference between intensity and magnitude when discussing earthquakes?

Earthquakes have occurred in the Andaman Sea because it is the boundary of the Sunda and Burma tectonic plates. The earthquake in 2004 was 9.3 magnitude and resulted in the tsunami that killed roughly 280,000 people along the Indian Ocean's coastal regions.

In 2015 a study revealed that there is a 7% chance that an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 will occur in the next 30 years.

In 1906 the San Francisco earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, located near San Francisco, killed 3000 people.

In 1931 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Hawke's Bay New Zealand and converted 40 sq km of sea bed to dry land. The new land is now a regional airport.

The strongest recorded earthquake in history happened in Chile, with a magnitude of 9.5 and lasted around 10 minutes

How many magnitude 6 earthquakes per year?

The largest earthquake recorded in Colorado took place in 1882 and was centered at the northern park boundary. Although they did not yet have seismometers, it has been estimated that the earthquake was about a 6.6 magnitude.

At 14:28 on May 12, 2008, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake happened in Sichuan, China. Over 5,000 students in primary and secondary schools perished in the earthquake, yet their names went unannounced.

The largest recorded earthquake in North America was in Alaska in 1964 registering a 9.2 magnitude.

The San Andreas Fault located near Parkfield produces a 6 magnitude earthquake on average every 22 years.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Lituya Bay caused a rockslide which created a megatsunami 1,720 feet tall, the tallest wave in recorded history.

An earthquake in 2004 at Parkfield was felt across California. It had a magnitude of 6.

In 1989 the Loma Prieta earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.9, located near Santa Cruz, killed 63 deaths in San Francisco Bay's area.

During the filming of a 2008 Judge Judy case, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake interrupted the trial... and the camerawork is phenomenal

Science doesn't use the Richter scale anymore which primarily measures ground displacement, the Moment Magnitude Scale is now the authoritative measurement as it is set by the earthquake's energy release.

In 2006 a study revealed that the San Andreas Fault has reached a stress level large enough to cause a magnitude 7 earthquake. They refer to an earthquake with a magnitude as greater than 7 as a "big one".

The Shinkansen's emergency brake was triggered 12-15 seconds before a massive earthquake of 8.9 magnitude hit mainland Japan.

If entire Hilina Slump on Big Island of Hawaii were to slide into ocean at once, it could cause earthquake in excess of 9 in magnitude, and megatsunami. Previous megatsunamis in Hawaii 110,000 years ago caused by similar geological phenomena may have created waves 1,600 feet tall.

The magnitude rating of an earthquake is a measurement of how much energy is released. This is measured according to the Richter scale.

The deadliest tsunami on record is the 2004 boxing day tsunami, caused by a >9 magnitude earthquake, and with a quarter million people dead

On May 18th, 1980 at 8:32 a.m. Mount St. Helens erupted. The eruption followed a 5.1 magnitude earthquake.

This is our collection of basic interesting facts about Earthquakes Magnitude. The fact lists are intended for research in school, for college students or just to feed your brain with new realities. Possible use cases are in quizzes, differences, riddles, homework facts legend, cover facts, and many more. Whatever your case, learn the truth of the matter why is Earthquakes Magnitude so important!

Editor Veselin Nedev Editor