A magnitude 9.5 earthquake releases roughly 5,600 times the energy of a magnitude 7
The strongest earthquake in the catalogue is Chile’s in 1960, magnitude 9.5. The scale is logarithmic: each magnitude step is about 32 times the energy.
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The approximate USGS educational rule gives about 32 times the energy per magnitude step. It does not translate directly into city-level shaking, destruction or casualties.
Bars show approximate relative energy, with M7 = 1. Bar lengths do not represent magnitudes on a linear scale.
- Magnitude, 1960 magnitude (mw)
9.5 (1960-05-22T19:11:20.000Z)
- Approximate M9.5/M7 energy ratio times, calculated
5,623 (10^(1,5×2,5))
USGS ComCat: published earthquake-type events, M≥7, from 1900-01-01 through 2026-10-01. Magnitude type, date, network and errors retained. Historical completeness varies; the catalogue does not measure damage or deaths. Ratio uses the USGS educational relation 10^(1.5×ΔM), with catalogue M9.5 and a hypothetical M7 reference, rounded to two significant digits. This is a model illustration of the scale, not measured earthquake energy.
USGS ComCat earthquake-type events with published magnitude ≥7, 1900-01-01 ≤ date ≤ 2026-10-01. Preferred catalogue magnitude, with scale type retained. Hypocentre depth, not damage depth; reported errors are preserved. Historical completeness, accuracy and networks vary. The catalogue does not prove an increase in true event incidence or damage; counts refer to the stated filter. The logarithmic 10^(1.5ΔM) relation is an approximate educational energy ratio, not measured energy per event, local shaking or mortality.
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