One of the most commonly known earthquake-measuring tools is the Richter Scale, but the system is no longer used today. The Richter scale was replaced in the 1970s by other magnitude scales that ...

Seismographs are used by scientists to measure the time, location and strength of an earthquake. Magnitude illustrates the strength of an earthquake, according to AccuWeather.

The scale is open-ended, with no upper limit, and allows for decimal values—so earthquakes can be rated as 4.6, 7.9, etc. Earthquake magnitude classification Micro (< 3.0): Usually not felt by ...

The strongest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.5-magnitude one that occurred in Chile in 1960, was 30,000 times more powerful than a 6.5-magnitude quake, which itself can be very destructive.