How many scales are there to measure earthquakes?

Ankara: An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude rocked Turkey early on Monday, knocking down several buildings and killing over 1000 people. In less than 12 hours, a second earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. Preliminary data from the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) shows that the original quake measured 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale and was about 67 km away from Kahramanmaraş, Turkey at a depth of 2 km. Read all LIVE updates on Turkey Earthquake here . Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the devastation caused by the deadly earthquake as the country’s largest natural disaster since 1939. Meanwhile, the death toll in Syria crossed 320 with over 1,000 severely wounded, according to The Guardian. Let’s take a look at the different scales that are used to measure earthquakes. Richter Scale: Invented in the 1930s by Dr Charles Richter, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology, the Richter Scale calculates magnitudes based on the amplitude – the maximum extent of a vibration – of the largest seismic wave recorded for the earthquake. The scale measures magnitude from 1 to 10, with 1 being the smallest and 10 being the largest. It is the most common and largely accepted way of measuring an earthquake. Mercalli Scale: Invented by Giuseppe Mercalli in 1902, the Mercalli scale measures the intensity of an earthquake by quantifying its effects on the Earth’s surface. The scale rates the intensity of an earthquake based on human reactions, natural objects and man-made structures. The scale ranges between 1 and 12, with 1 denoting that nothing was felt and 12 being total destruction. Since the scale relies more on witness reports, it is considered less scientific than the Richter Scale. Moment Magnitude Scale: Launched as a successor to the Richter Scale in 1979, the Moment Magnitude Scale compares energy released by an earthquake and is based on its moment. When it comes to measuring large earthquakes, the Moment Magnitude Scale is considered to be more accurate than the Richter Scale. The US Geological Survey uses this scale to estimate magnitudes, according to Sciencing. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.