At any time of the day or night, the destructive force of an earthquake can strike suddenly and without warning. A major earthquake in a populated area can cause extensive damage, injury and death, interrupt water, gas and electrical service, and disrupt communications and transportation. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help you survive an earthquake and deal with its aftermath. BEFORE AN EARTHQUAKE It is recommended that you take the following actions to protect yourself, your...

  While there are several methods used to compute and display the magnitude of earthquakes, the Richter Scale Magnitude is probably the best known. First developed in 1935 at the California Institute of Technology by Charles Richter, the Richter Scale is used as a way by which to display the magnitude of an earthquake and its correlating effects. The scale has gone under revision and refinement over the years and other methods of measuring and calculating earthquakes have been developed....