Exactly how powerful the Anchorage, Alaska earthquake was

By David Yanofsky

Published November 30, 2018

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:

Exactly how powerful the Anchorage, Alaska earthquake was

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