Consider the following statements relating to Richter scale: 1. It w

Consider the following statements relating to Richter scale:

  • 1. It was devised in 1935 by Charles F. Richter
  • 2. It describes the quantity of energy released by a single earthquake
  • 3. Richter Scale has no upper limit

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-1 – 2019
All three statements regarding the Richter scale are considered correct in the context of this question.
– Statement 1: The Richter magnitude scale was indeed devised by Charles F. Richter in 1935, along with Beno Gutenberg.
– Statement 2: The Richter scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake, which is directly related to the energy released. While the scale is based on the amplitude of seismic waves, magnitude is a logarithmic measure from which the quantity of energy released can be estimated.
– Statement 3: Theoretically, the Richter scale does not have an upper limit in its mathematical definition. Although practical measurement limitations existed with the original instruments for very large earthquakes, the scale itself isn’t bounded.
The Richter scale is a logarithmic scale; each whole number increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in wave amplitude and approximately a 32-fold increase in the energy released. For large earthquakes, the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw) is now preferred as it is more directly related to the total energy released and does not suffer from saturation effects like the Richter scale at high magnitudes.
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