Charles Richter is in the news amid the devastating earthquake in Venezuela. Know the story of this genius who created the Richter scale from the stars in the sky, who gave a way to measure earthquakes.
Richter Scale Inventor: Two powerful earthquakes have caused devastation in the South American country Venezuela. Two severe earthquakes occurred back-to-back on Wednesday evening, whose intensity was measured at 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. This disaster has shaken the entire world. From TV to social media, only one word is being heard everywhere, ‘Richter scale’. But have you ever wondered what this Richter scale is? Who made it? Why was it named Richter? Let us know the name of the genius who changed the way of understanding earthquakes.
Who was Charles Richter?
Charles Francis Richter was an American scientist. He was born on 26 April 1900 in Ohio state of America. He was interested in science since childhood. He studied physics and later started research on earthquakes. The biggest problem facing scientists at that time was how to compare the strength of different earthquakes. This is where Charles Richter’s biggest discovery began.
What is the Richter scale?
Today, whenever there is news of an earthquake, we hear that its intensity was 5, 6 or 7. This number tells how powerful the earthquake was. The world knows this measurement system by the name of Richter scale. Charles Richter, along with his fellow scientist Beno Gutenberg, created this scale in 1935. Its purpose was to measure earthquakes around the world in a uniform manner.
How did the idea of the Richter scale come from stars?
Charles Richter was also interested in astronomy, i.e. the world of stars and planets. He observed that astronomers use the word magnitude to measure the brightness of stars. From here he got a new idea. He thought that if the brightness of stars could be described in numbers, then the strength of earthquakes could also be put on a scale. This thinking later led to the creation of the Richter scale.
How does the Richter scale work?
Many people think that the Richter scale is a straight scale like a thermometer, but it is not. This is a mathematical system. In this, every next number shows many times more power than the previous number. For example, an earthquake of magnitude 5 is 32 times more powerful than an earthquake of magnitude 4. A magnitude 7 earthquake releases much more energy than a magnitude 6 earthquake. This is the reason why an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude is considered extremely dangerous.
Is the same Richter scale still used today?
The Richter scale revolutionized seismology, but over time scientists have adapted it to a more modern scale. Today the ‘Moment Magnitude Scale’ is mainly used to measure large earthquakes. Nevertheless, the name ‘Richter Scale’ is still the most popular name among the common people to describe the strength of an earthquake.
Charles was a man of passion and a little unique.
machine in drawing room
Charles Richter was not limited to just the lab, he was a man of his passion. Some things about him were quite interesting. Charles had installed a seismometer (earthquake measuring machine) in the living room of his house. He was always ready for earthquake news and readings, whether night or day.
nature lover
Charles was a naturist by nature. He and his wife loved spending time in nature and also visited many nudist camps.
life saving rules
He not only created a scale, but also put pressure on the government to implement strict rules for building strong buildings in earthquake prone areas. Because of his rules, thousands of lives were saved in the 1971 Los Angeles earthquake.
Said goodbye to the world in 1985
Charles Richter died on 30 September 1985 in California. But the system created by him is still a part of the earthquake discussion around the world. Whenever the earth trembles and the intensity of the earthquake is shown on the TV screen, the name of Charles Richter is also remembered somewhere.