| Richter Scale Magnitudes | ||||
| Magnitude | Number Per Year (World) | |||
| 2 | Just felt | more than 100,000 | ||
| 4.5 | Damage begins | a few 1,000 | ||
| 7 | "Major" | 16 to 18 | ||
| 8 | "Great" | 1 or 2 | ||
| 8.6 | Maximum recorded | |||
| Some Representative Magnitudes | ||||
| Year | Location | Magnitude | ||
| 1906 | San Francisco | 8.25 | ||
| 1960 | Chile | 8.5 | ||
| 1964 | Alaska | 8.6 | ||
| 1970 | Peru | 7.75 | ||
| 1971 | San Fernando Valley, CA | 6.4 | ||
| 1972 | Nicaragua | 6.2 | ||
| 1976 | Guatemala | 7.9 | ||
| 1976 | China | 7.6 | ||
| 1977 | Romania | 7.2 | ||