the Richter scale

noun

technical

: a system of measurement used for showing the strength of an earthquake

The earthquake measured 4.5 on the Richter scale.

Examples of the Richter scale in a Sentence

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This alarming seismic shift in power from Congress to the White House, the equivalent of an 8.0 on the Richter scale, goes unmentioned. —

Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2025 Much like the Richter scale for earthquakes, this classification system is logarithmic, with each step representing a tenfold increase in energy. —

George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024 Swift literally rocked Lisbon, with the star's show in the city registering on the Richter scale. —

Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024 The Day the Wave Hit The series opens with the early hours of December 26, 2004, when an undersea earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale ruptured a fault larger than the length of California. —

Tony Bradley, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for the Richter scale

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“The Richter scale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Richter%20scale. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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