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Breaking it Down with Brittney - Earthquake Magnitudes

Earthquake Magnitude Explainer
Posted at 10:35 AM, Aug 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-26 11:36:10-04

EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDES: Do you know what a minor and a major quake really feel like? Meteorologist Brittney Merlot explains them compared to explosives and their energy equivalent, which will blow you away! Plus, details on how frequently certain magnitudes occur and the amount of destruction and loss they leave behind.

Recently, the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii is waking up once again. On August 23rd, it began sending waves of earthquakes, nearly 300 of them in just a few days. Luckily they have been minor quakes on the Richter Scale of 2 and 3, but have been occurring only 1 mile below the surface. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey has raised the alert level for the volcano from "advisory" to "watch" on Tuesday.

Comparing this to Hati, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck earlier this month on August 14, killing more than 2,200 people on Haiti’s southwest peninsula, left 12,000 injured and destroyed 130,000 homes. Currently the U.N. is seeking $190 million for Hati earthquake relief.