Each magnitude releases how much more energy than the previous magnitude?

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Multiple Choice

Each magnitude releases how much more energy than the previous magnitude?

Explanation:
Earthquake magnitude scales are logarithmic, so a rise of one whole number means a large, multiplicative increase in energy. The energy released is proportional to 10^(1.5M), so increasing magnitude by 1 multiplies energy by 10^1.5, which is about 31.6 — commonly rounded to 32 times. Therefore, each higher magnitude releases roughly 32 times more energy than the previous one. The other options aren’t correct: 10x is too small, 100x is too large, and 2x is far too small.

Earthquake magnitude scales are logarithmic, so a rise of one whole number means a large, multiplicative increase in energy. The energy released is proportional to 10^(1.5M), so increasing magnitude by 1 multiplies energy by 10^1.5, which is about 31.6 — commonly rounded to 32 times. Therefore, each higher magnitude releases roughly 32 times more energy than the previous one. The other options aren’t correct: 10x is too small, 100x is too large, and 2x is far too small.

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