In 2010, haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake, which registered at 7.0 on the richter scale. the largest recorded earthquake since 1900 occurred in 1960 in valdivia, chile, and registered at 9.5 on the richter scale. about how many times greater was the intensity of the chilean earthquake?

The Richter scale measures the earthquake in terms of logarithms. Therefore to calculate the intensity of the earthquake we have to find out the anti-log or inverse of the logarithm of the Richter scale number.

We are given the Haiti earthquake was measuring 7.0

The Chilean earthquake was measuring 9.5

So difference in Richter scale = 9.5 -7.0 = 2.5

So, Difference in intensity = = 316

So intensity of the Chilean earthquake was 316 times greater than the Haitian earthquake

Richter scale measures intensity of earthquake as power of 10. The intensity of the Chilean earthquake( year 1960) was approx 316.23 times greater than the earthquake in Haiti (year 2010)

Suppose that the first measured earthquake was of intensity (on Richter scale)

Suppose the second measured earthquake was of   intensity(on Richter scale).

It is a fact that each unit of the the Richter scale measurement increases as the power of 10.

So if b = a + 1, then the second earthquake was 10 times greater than the first earthquake.

If we have b = a + x, then we have:

Second earthquake was times greater than the first earthquake.

As it was given that the earthquake in Haiti was of 7.0 intensity on Richter scale, and that the Chilean earthquake was about 9.5 intensity on Richter scale

The difference is 9.5 - 7 = 2.5

Thus, the Chilean earthquake(year 1960) was times greater than the earthquake in Haiti (year 2010)

Thus,

The intensity of the Chilean earthquake( year 1960) was approx 316.23 times greater than the earthquake in Haiti (year 2010)

Learn more about Richter scale here:

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