Surface wave magnitude Surface wave magnitude The surface wave magnitude (formula_1) scale is one of the magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements in Rayleigh surface waves that travel primarily along the uppermost layers of the Earth. It is currently used in People's Republic of China as a national standard(GB 17740-1999) for categorising earthquakes. Surface wave magnitude was initially developed in the 1950s by the same researchers who developed the local magnitude scale M in order to improve resolution on larger earthquakes: Recorded magnitudes of earthquakes during that time, commonly attributed to Richter,
Orders of magnitude (length) (10 m or 1.1 billion light-years). At this scale, expansion of the universe becomes significant. Distance of these objects are derived from their measured redshifts, which depends on the cosmological models used. To help compare different orders of magnitude, this section lists distances starting at 100 Ym (10 m or 11 billion light years). At this scale, expansion of the universe becomes significant. Distance of these objects are derived from their measured redshifts, which depend on the cosmological models used. Distances longer than 100 Ym Orders of magnitude (length) The following are examples of orders of magnitude for different lengths.