What does “moment magnitude” mean, and how do scientists determine the strength of a rupture in the earth? By Henry Fountain Henry Fountain spent a quarter century covering science for The Times. He ...

Earthquakes are becoming increasingly frequent. On Sunday morning, four earthquakes struck parts of India, Myanmar, and Tajikistan within just one hour, sending tremors across central and South Asia.

Just how strong was Wednesday’s earthquake anyhow? The quake that struck about 11 miles south southwest of Mifflintown in Juniata County measured 3.4 on the Richter scale, with weak-to-light shaking ...

The earthquake that rattled Californians on Friday night measured a 7.1 magnitude, which doesn’t sound much worse than the 6.4-magnitude quake that struck a day earlier. But it was. The small ...

The Seattle earthquake registered 6.8 on the … well, not on the Richter scale, which the New York Times reported has been displaced. Is the Richter scale obsolete, and what is used instead? While the ...