Currently, USGS reports an earthquake’s magnitude using the Moment Magnitude Scale. According to Michigan Tech, the magnitude scale is as follows: For years, a method called the Richter scale ...

These scales account for the distance between the earthquake and the recording seismometer so that the calculated magnitude should be about the same no matter where it is measured. Another scale is ...

Another is the moment magnitude scale. It accounts for multiple types of seismic waves, drawing on more precise instruments and better computing to provide a reliable measuring stick to compare ...

Data by the USGS and European seismic stations suggest this event was a 7.8 and 6.7 out of 10 on the moment magnitude scale. The shaking caused by energy traveling outwards from the source or ...