Get ready to rumble. (Math/Chart-Reading Skills).How strong is an earthquake? Scientists use a Richter scale Richter scale (rĭk`tər), measure of the magnitude of seismic waves from an earthquake, devised in 1935 by the American seismologist Charles F. Richter (1900–1985). to describe the amount of energy released during an earthquake. The Richter scale grows by powers of 10. That means, an increase of 1 point on the scale means the strength of a quake Quake - A string-oriented language designed to support the construction of Modula-3 programs from modules, interfaces and libraries. Written by Stephen Harrison of DEC SRC, 1993. is 10 times greater. For example: * An earthquake registering 2.0 on the Richter scale is 10 times stronger that a quake registering 1.0. * A quake registering 3.0 is 10 x 10 or 100 times stronger that an earthquake registering 1.0. Directions: Below is a chart showing the Richter scale measurements and what destruction might occur at each level. The chart also features a few notable earthquakes. Use the information to answer the questions that follow. 1. What would an earthquake have to measure on the Richter scale before the ground cracks? Dishes rattle? You first notice the quake? 2. Which earthquake on the chart registered highest on the Richter scale? 3. What was the measurement of the quake that struck Alaska Alaska (əlă`skə), largest in area of the United States but third smallest (exceeding only Vermont and Wyoming) in population, occupying the northwest extremity of the North American continent, separated from the coterminous United States in 1987? How many times stronger was that quake than one measuring 1.0? 4. How many times stronger was the Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi quake of 1985 than the San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden quake of 1989? 5. How many times stronger was the earthquake that hit Tangshan Tangshan (täng-shän), city (1994 est. pop. 1,110,200), NE Hebei prov., China. A coal-mining center in the Kailan basin, Tangshan is also a major industrial hub with iron- and steelworks. , China, than the one that shook Westchester County in 1985? 6. How many times stronger than a quake measuring 1.0 is a quake measuring 10.0? ANSWERS 1a. 7.0 b. 5.0 c. 3.0 2. Sanriku, Japan (1933) 3a. 7.0 b. 1,000,000 4. 10 5. 10,000 6. 1,000,000,000 |
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