On May 22, 1960, a powerful earthquake took place in Chile. It had a magnitude of 9.5. How much energy did this earthquake release?
I'm sure you have a formula. For further reading, see wikipedia's article on Richter magnitude scale. It also has a table of sample values, so you can check your answer.
To calculate the energy released by an earthquake, we can use the formula:
Energy (joules) = 10^(1.5 * magnitude + 4.8)
Given that the magnitude of the earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960, was 9.5, we can substitute this value into the formula:
Energy (joules) = 10^(1.5 * 9.5 + 4.8)
Calculating this equation, the energy released by the earthquake is approximately 3.2 × 10^23 joules. Keep in mind that this value is an estimate as actual energy release can vary.
To calculate the amount of energy released by an earthquake, we use the formula for seismic energy release:
E = 10^(1.5M + 4.8)
Where:
E is the energy released in joules
M is the magnitude of the earthquake
In this case, the magnitude of the earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960, was 9.5. Plugging this value into the formula, we can calculate the energy released:
E = 10^(1.5 * 9.5 + 4.8)
E = 10^(14.25 + 4.8)
E = 10^(19.05)
Using a calculator or a programming language that supports large numbers, we can find the answer:
E ≈ 3.16228 × 10^19 joules
So, the earthquake released approximately 3.16228 × 10^19 joules of energy.