Richter scale

American  

noun

1. a scale, ranging from 1 to 10, for indicating the intensity of an earthquake.

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Richter scale British  

/ ˈrɪxtə /

noun

1. a scale for expressing the magnitude of an earthquake in terms of the logarithm of the amplitude of the ground wave; values range from 0 to over 9 Compare Mercalli scale See also magnitude

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Richter scale Scientific  

/ rĭk′tər /

1. A logarithmic scale used to rate the strength or total energy of earthquakes. The scale has no upper limit but usually ranges from 1 to 9. Because it is logarithmic, an earthquake rated as 5 is ten times as powerful as one rated as 4. An earthquake with a magnitude of 1 is detectable only by seismographs; one with a magnitude of 7 is a major earthquake. The Richter scale is named after the American seismologist Charles Francis Richter (1900–1985).

2. See Note at earthquake

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Richter scale Cultural  

1. A scale used to rate the intensity of earthquakes. The scale is open-ended, with each succeeding level representing ten times as much energy as the last. A serious earthquake might rate six to eight, and very destructive quakes rate higher.

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Discover More

No quake greater than nine has ever been recorded.

Etymology

Origin of Richter scale

1935–40; after Charles F. Richter (1900–85), U.S. seismologist

Compare meaning

How does richter-scale compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Mercalli scale vs. Richter scale

Example Sentences

Martin questions why prosecutors chose to "spend so much money and time and effort bringing back Mr McGrath for an allegation, which by any standards was low on the Richter scale of assaults".

From BBC

In late September, explosions under the Baltic Sea that measured up to 2.3 on the Richter scale ruptured the two giant, concrete-and-steel pipelines built to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany.

From New York Times

Barring the unexpected, the outcome is not likely to register high on the political Richter scale.

From Los Angeles Times

After this, the government introduced a traffic-light system which suspended work if seismic activity of 0.5 or above on the Richter scale was detected.

From Reuters

It was felt throughout the country, registered as 3.3 on the Richter scale and was heard as far away as Cyprus.

From Salon