The magnitude scale is the most common way to measure the size of an earthquake. USGS uses what's caused the moment magnitude scale to measure earthquakes.

Using the Moment Magnitude Scale, for each full number of magnitude you graduate to on the scale, the force of the earthquake is 32 times that of the previous whole number.

The moment magnitude scale measures the movement of rock along the fault. (Sept. 22, 2017) By Rong-Gong Lin II Staff Writer . Sept. 22, 2017 3 AM PT . Share via Close extra sharing options.

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake hit Northern California Monday evening near Los Banos, about 30 miles from San Jose. No damage ...

The moment magnitude scale, as it is known, replaced one developed by an American seismologist, Charles Richter, that was used until the 1970s.

The moment magnitude scale is logarithmic — that is, each whole number of magnitude represents about a 30-fold increase in energy released.

While the Richter scale is not obsolete, the universal measurement today is the moment magnitude scale. The Richter scale was developed by seismologist Charles Richter (1900-1985) ...

The San Andreas Fault, this scar visible from space, stretches across California for over 1,200 kilometers (about 745 miles).

Scientists largely use the moment magnitude scale to categorize earthquakes’ strength and size in a way that’s more accurate than the long-used Richter scale, the US Geological Survey says.

The moment magnitude scale is logarithmic, making huge jumps from number to number. An earthquake that registers an 8.7 is a whopping 794 times larger than a magnitude 5.8 earthquake, according to ...

The moment magnitude scale, by contrast, captures all the different seismic waves from an earthquake, giving a better idea of the shaking and possible damage.

Scientists largely use the moment magnitude scale to categorize earthquakes’ strength and size in a way that’s more accurate than the long-used Richter scale, the US Geological Survey says.