The Geologist C $\log _ { 10 } \left( \frac { I } { S } \right)$

question 7

Multiple Choice

The geologist C. F. Richter defined the magnitude of an earthquake to be $\log _ { 10 } \left( \frac { I } { S } \right)$ where $I$ is the intensity of the quake (measured by the amplitude of a seismograph $100 \mathrm {~km}$ from the epicenter) and $S$ is the intensity of a "standard" earthquake (where the amplitude is only 1 micron $= 10 ^ { - 4 }$ $\mathrm { cm }$ ) . The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that shook San Francisco had a magnitude of $7.9$ on the Richter scale. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was 12 times as intense. What was its magnitude on the Richter scale?

• A) 12
• B) 11
• C) 9
• D) 14
• E) 13

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Definitions:

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