Refers to the Richter scale, a logarithmic scale used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. It was developed by seismologist Charles F. Richter in 1935.
Named after Charles Francis Richter (1900-1985), American seismologist who developed the scale at the California Institute of Technology. His surname derives from German 'richter' meaning 'judge'.
The Richter scale is logarithmic, meaning each whole number represents a tenfold increase in seismic energy - a magnitude 7 earthquake releases 1000 times more energy than a magnitude 5. Despite being largely replaced by the moment magnitude scale for large earthquakes, 'Richter' remains the public's go-to term for earthquake measurement.
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