Intensity: The severity of earthquake shaking is assessed using a descriptive scale – the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Magnitude: Earthquake size is a quantitative measure of the size of the earthquake at its source. The Richter Magnitude Scale measures the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake.
To compare two earthquakes in terms of shaking, you subtract one magnitude from the other and raise 10 to that power: 10^(M1-M2). For example, if the magnitude of one quake is 6 and another is 4, than the difference in magnitudes is 2, so the stronger earthquake shakes 10^2 or 100 times as hard as the milder one.
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