Scientists measure the severity of an earthquake using a scale called the Richter scale or the moment magnitude scale (Mw). These scales quantify the amount of energy released by an earthquake and provide a numerical value that indicates the earthquake's severity. The Richter scale ranges from 1 to 10, with each whole number increase representing a tenfold increase in amplitude of the seismic waves. On the other hand, the moment magnitude scale is more commonly used today and takes into account various factors such as the fault's area and the amount of displacement to provide a more accurate measurement of an earthquake's severity.
