Work out richter to energy instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
A magnitude 7 earthquake radiates about 2.0e15 J - roughly 32 Hiroshima bombs, or 475 kilotonnes of TNT. Expressing seismic energy against familiar references makes the logarithmic scale tangible: a magnitude 9 releases a thousand times more than a magnitude 7, which is why megathrust events are in a different category entirely.
Energy from magnitude
log10(E) = 1.5 M + 4.8
TNT equivalence
1 tonne of TNT = 4.184e9 J
Not for large events. Moment magnitude replaced it because Richter's local scale saturates above about magnitude 7.
Depth, distance, local soil amplification and building stock matter enormously. A shallow magnitude 6 under a city is worse than a deep magnitude 7 offshore.