Scientists largely use the moment magnitude scale to categorize earthquakes’ strength and size in a way that’s more accurate than the long-used Richter scale, the US Geological Survey says.

What does “moment magnitude” mean, and how do scientists determine the strength of a rupture in the earth? By Henry Fountain Henry Fountain spent a quarter century covering science for The ...

Magnitude is shown as a number on a scale. Taking into account how far a fault slipped United States Geological Survey You can infer that the lower the number the lower the magnitude of the ...

Here's what you need to know about how earthquakes are measured and what the scale of today's East Coast quake was.

Earthquake strength is registered on the moment magnitude scale, which measures how much energy was released when the rocks along a fault moved during the quake.

How the strength of quakes is measured has changed over the years, so you'll see references to the Richter Scale, earthquake magnitude and intensity.

The earthquake magnitude communicates its energy level, and the intensity communicates its strength based on its effects.