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Exactly how powerful the Anchorage, Alaska earthquake was

Initial analysis by the US Geological Survey puts the magnitude of the earthquake that just struck near Anchorage, Alaska at a 7.0. It’s a big temblor causing significant damage to buildings and roads. But we measure earthquakes on a logarithmic scale. Each step on the scale indicates an earthquake released about 32 times more energy than the prior figure. For instance:

ByDavid Yanofsky
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Initial analysis by the US Geological Survey puts the magnitude of the earthquake that just struck near Anchorage, Alaska at a 7.0. It’s a big temblor causing significant damage to buildings and roads. But we measure earthquakes on a logarithmic scale. Each step on the scale indicates an earthquake released about 32 times more energy than the prior figure. For instance:

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