Scary! Earthquake of 8.8 magnitude is equal to explosion of 14300 nuclear bombs like Hiroshima

An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 has the same energy as 9000-14300 atomic bombs like Hiroshima, which is approximately 9 x 10^17 joules or 6.27 million tons of TNT.

One of the world’s strongest earthquakes since 2011 struck Russia’s Far East early Wednesday, with a powerful 8.8-magnitude tremor jolting the Kamchatka Peninsula and triggering tsunami alerts across the northern Pacific. The quake, the strongest in the region since 1952, was followed by intense aftershocks, with seismologists warning of further tremors up to magnitude 7.5 in the coming weeks.

An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 is equivalent to the energy of 14300 atomic bombs like Hiroshima exploding simultaneously. But is this comparison correct? And why is this earthquake being considered so dangerous? Let us understand how much impact it will have based on scientific facts and research. We will also see why countries like Russia and Japan are afraid of this earthquake? What is its connection with plain areas like India?

How powerful is a magnitude 8.8 earthquake?

The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter scale or Moment Magnitude scale (Mw). This is a logarithmic scale, meaning that with every one digit increase, the energy increases 31.6 times. For example, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 is 31.6 times more powerful than an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 and about 1000 times more powerful than an earthquake of magnitude 6.8.

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An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 falls in the category of “Great Earthquake”. It is so powerful that it can destroy buildings, roads and entire cities. Its energy is measured in Joules. According to scientists, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 releases approximately 9 x 10^17 Joules of energy. This is such a huge amount that to understand it, we compare it with the energy of an atomic bomb.

Energy and comparison of atomic bombs

The atomic bomb (“Little Boy”) dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was equivalent to 15 kilotons of TNT. This means that it released 6.3 x 10^13 joules of energy. One kiloton of TNT is equivalent to 4.184 x 10^12 joules. Now, if we compare the energy of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake (9 x 10^17 joules) to the energy of the Hiroshima bomb, we will know how many bombs it is equivalent to.

Energy of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake: 9 x 10^17 joules
Energy of the Hiroshima bomb : 6.3 x 10^13 joules
Divide these two: (9 x 10^17) ÷ (6.3 x 10^13) = 1.43 x 10^4. That is, 14,300 Hiroshima atomic bombs.

Some sources put the number at 9,000 Hiroshima bombs. The difference may be due to minor variations in the calculations or different assumptions (such as the depth of the earthquake or the nature of the fault).