An earthquake was recorded with an intensity which was 125,893 times more powerful than a reference level earthquake, or 125,893 · I0. What is the magnitude of this earthquake on the Richter scale (rounded to the
Nearest tenth)? Intensity on the Richter scale is log10 $\left( \mathrm { I } / \mathrm { I } _ { 0 } \right)$
A) 5.1
B) 4.1
C) 0.5
D) 11.7

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The magnitude on the Richter scale is calculated using the formula $ \log_{10} \left( \frac{I}{I_0} \right) $, where $I$ is the intensity of the earthquake and $I_0$ is the reference level intensity. Substituting $125,893$ for $ \frac{I}{I_0} $, we get $ \log_{10} (125,893) $, which rounds to approximately 5.1.

An Earthquake Was Recorded with an Intensity Which Was 125,893 (I/I0)\left( \mathrm { I } / \mathrm { I } _ { 0 } \right)(I/I0​)

An Earthquake Was Recorded with an Intensity Which Was 125,893 $\left( \mathrm { I } / \mathrm { I } _ { 0 } \right)$