Argentina regularly receives cold air from the south that can reach low latitudes owing to the influence of the Andes. Cold waves are often accompanied with severe snow storms or extremely cold conditions that can have a devastating impact on its economy.
The Richter Scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake which is  another way of describing the energy released in the earthquake.
the difference between the richter and mercalli scales both intended to measure earthquake severity is that the richter scale is a mathematical scale based on the measurements of scientific instruments while the mercalli scale is based on witness observation and structural damage