An earthquake was recorded which was 1584893 times more powerful than a reference level zero earthquake. What is the magnitude of this earthquake on the Richter scale? Intensity on the Richter scale is log(I/Io).
Correct Answer is 6.268. But how to get that?
I get log(1584893) = 6.199999 or 6.2
not 6.268
To calculate the magnitude of an earthquake on the Richter scale, we can use the formula:
Magnitude = log(I/Io)
Where I represents the intensity of the earthquake and Io represents the reference intensity of a magnitude zero earthquake.
In this case, we are given that the earthquake is 1584893 times more powerful than a reference level zero earthquake. Therefore, the intensity, I, would be 1584893 times Io.
To find the magnitude, we substitute the values into the equation:
Magnitude = log(1584893 * Io / Io)
Since Io / Io equals 1, the equation simplifies to:
Magnitude = log(1584893)
By evaluating log base 10 of 1584893, we get the magnitude of the earthquake, which is approximately 6.268.
Therefore, the correct answer is indeed 6.268.