National Richter Scale Day

National Richter Scale Day on the 26th of April commemorates the birthday of the inventor of the Richter Scale, named Charles F. Richter.

We may not know who founded it yet, but we celebrate it to honor the birth date of the founder of the Richter scale - the first instrument used to measure earthquakes - Charles Richter.

History of National Richter Scale Day

Although the founders of this holiday are still unknown, National Richter Scale Day is also known as a chance to express gratitude a man who taught the world how to measure earthquakes, named Charles Francis Richter, an American seismologist and physicist.

Richter was born in Ohio and then moved to Los Angeles with his mother at his teenager. He participated in the University of Southern California, and studied physics at Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology, where he earned a Ph. on this subject.

Richter was impressed and inspired by an article written about shallow and deep earthquakes by Japanese seismologist Kiyoo Wadati while he was at the California Institute of Technology. Together with German-born Beno Gutenberg, Richter continued to develop the Richter scale while both were working at the California Institute of Technology. The Richter scale is used to measure the energy released in an earthquake on a scale of 0 to 10. Each number on the scale is the representative of an earthquake 10 times stronger than the number before it. For example, a magnitude 5 earthquake is 10 times stronger and releases more energy than a magnitude 4 earthquake.

The Richter scale became a common standard for measuring earthquakes. While other scales have been developed since then, none have achieved the popularity of the Richter scale.

Why National Richter Scale Day?

Born on April 26th, 1900, Charles F. Richter is famous at his remarkable contributions to science when he invented the Richter Scale. Charles passed away on September 30th, 1985. He was an American seismologist and physicist best known for his great work inventing the Richter Scale.

The Richter scale is used by seismologists in their efforts to quantify the size of earthquakes. In 1935, Charles continuously worked at the California Institute of Technology with Beno Gutenberg when he first used the scale. After the publication of the Richter Scale, it became the standard means of measuring the magnitude of earthquakes. Since that year, there was more magnitude scales appeared. Charles and his collaborator Beno were inspired by an article published by KiyooWadati regarding the shallowness and depth of earthquakes.

Determining which scale to use in measuring earthquake magnitude depends entirely on the available data. However, most tools are not called Richter Scale. According to the United States Geological Service Records, the largest earthquake was recorded in 1960 in Chile. A reading of 9.5 was seen on the Richter Scale, reported as the Great Chilean Earthquake.

How to celebrate National Richter Scale Day

• Post on social media

You can observe this amazing day by posting on social media using #NationalRichterScaleDay handle and share this with your followers on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media is one of the fastest ways through which you can create awareness about something that you want to convey to the rest of the world.

• Share your experience of handling or using the Richter Scale

If you are a seismologist, you can also celebrate National Richter Scale Day by meeting with your friends and colleagues and sharing experiences you may have had using or handling the Richter Scale. For people who are not seismologists, National Richter Scale Day can be commemorate by meeting friends and sharing about what you know about this device or the earthquakes that have been witnessed in many other places in the world. Please take the time to discuss the contributions this tool has made in providing scientific information and providing additional knowledge about analysis.

• Lean more information about the Richter Scale as well as Charles Richter

Another means of observing this date is to learn as much as you can about the Richter Scale. Furthermore, let spend time on learning more about Charles Richter and his experiences about the usage of Richter Scale. Charles and his invention make a great contribution to explain the different magnitudes of earthquakes and analyze for the purpose of preparing for the next one and how to save lives and property.