Asked by jakeevia

Which scale takes into account the movement of rocks along fault lines?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The moment magnitude scale (Mw). It is based on seismic moment, M0 = μ × A × D (rock rigidity × fault rupture area × average slip), so it directly reflects the movement (slip) of rocks on the fault.

By contrast the Richter scale is based on seismic-wave amplitude, and the Mercalli scale measures felt/shown effects and damage.