What emerged, of course, was that the magnitude scale presupposed that all earthquakes were alike except for a constant scaling factor. And this proved to be closer to the truth than we expected. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
We would have been happy if we could have assigned just three categories, large, medium, and small; the point is, we wanted to avoid personal judgments. It actually turned out to be quite a finely tuned scale. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
This is very similar to astronomy where different magnitudes are assigned to the brightness of an astronomical object, depending on the range of wavelengths being measured. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
There is another common misapprehension that the magnitude scale is itself some kind of instrument or apparatus. Visitors will frequently ask to ‘see the scale.’ Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
My amateur interest in astronomy brought out the term ‘magnitude’, which is used for the brightness of a star. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
If the assumptions used in calculating energy are changed, then this seriously affects the final result, even though the same body of data might be used. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
I’m glad to see the press now referring to the open-ended Richter scale. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
I usually point out that most loss of life and property has been due to the collapse of antiquated and unsafe structures, mostly of brick and other masonry. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
I suggested that we might compare earthquakes in terms of the measured amplitudes recorded at these stations, with an appropriate correction for distance. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
From here, it becomes an engineering problem; the engineer considers the ground motion that will occur and evaluates the requirements of the proposed structure in the light of the local foundation conditions. Charles Francis Richter Read Quote
