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Try the science

How much bigger?

Two magnitudes. Two different ways to compare their size.

Two waveforms compare magnitude 5 and 6, illustrating ten times the amplitude and about 31.6 times the energy for a one-unit increase.
One magnitude step means 10 times the wave amplitude and approximately 31.6 times the energy.

The magnitude scale is logarithmic. A small change in the number can represent a large change in earthquake size. Enter two magnitudes to compare measured wave amplitude and approximate energy release.

Compare earthquake magnitudes

Enter magnitudes from −3 to 10, in steps of 0.1. Either value can be larger.

M6.0 compared with M5.0

10×Wave amplitude
31.6×Approximate energy

The larger event has 10 times the wave amplitude and releases approximately 31.6 times the energy.

A quick reference

Ratios for the larger event relative to the smaller event
Magnitude differenceWave amplitudeApproximate energy
0.53.2×5.6×
1.010×31.6×
2.0100×1,000×

What the calculator measures

Let ΔM be the larger magnitude minus the smaller magnitude. The amplitude ratio is 10ΔM. The approximate energy ratio is 101.5 × ΔM, using the standard educational energy–magnitude relationship.

This compares earthquake size using the same relationships as the USGS calculator. It does not estimate damage or predict shaking at a specific place. Energy release is approximate, and magnitude estimates have uncertainty.

Try a historical comparison

Enter 9.5 and 9.2 to compare the magnitudes of the 1960 Chile and 1964 Alaska earthquakes. Find more examples in the largest recorded earthquakes. To understand why a bigger magnitude does not determine everyone’s experience, read magnitude vs. intensity.

Sources & further reading

By Josh Clemm · Reviewed September 5, 2026. Educational information from Earthquake Alert; no earthquake early warnings.