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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Earthquakes & Seismology

Magnitude

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

/ˈmæɡnɪtuːd/nounCore term

In geology & earth sciences, magnitude means: A number that describes the size of an earthquake at its source, based on the energy released. Each whole step on the scale means about 32 times more energy.

In Turkish: büyüklük, magnitüd

How it is used

Written 'a magnitude 6.8 earthquake' or 'M 6.8'. Seismologists today mostly use moment magnitude (Mw); the Richter scale is now mainly historical. People say an earthquake 'had a magnitude of' or 'measured' a value.

Example sentences

  1. A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the region early this morning.

  2. The two agencies reported slightly different magnitudes for the same event.

Common collocations

  • moment magnitude
  • a magnitude 7 earthquake
  • a magnitude of
  • magnitude scale
  • intensityA measure of how strongly an earthquake's shaking is felt and how much damage it causes at a particular place. It usually decreases with distance from the source.
  • earthquakeA sudden shaking of the ground caused by rocks breaking and slipping along a fault, which releases energy as seismic waves.
  • seismographAn instrument that detects and records ground movement caused by earthquakes and other vibrations. The record it produces is called a seismogram.
  • epicenterThe point on the Earth's surface directly above the place underground where an earthquake starts.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Earthquakes & Seismology

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