On the Richter Scale
Scale 1 to 1.9: Only detected by seismographs; it is so mild that no one notices it.
Scale 2 to 2.9: Only felt by people inside buildings due to slight movement of objects.
Scale 3 to 3.9: Felt as vibrations inside houses, similar to those caused by a passing truck.
Scale 4 to 4.9: Almost everyone feels it during the day; at night, the noise makes it more noticeable, and more people perceive it.
Scale 5 to 5.9: Felt by everyone. Heavy furniture moves and may topple over, frames and plaster from some walls fall. People are alarmed, and many leave their houses and buildings. Weak structures may collapse.
Scale 6 to 6.9: Windows break, walls crack, some houses collapse, buildings are significantly damaged, walls and monuments fall. Even people in vehicles feel it.
Scale 7 to 7.9: Severe damage to bridges, dams, and dikes. Many houses and buildings made of wood or concrete collapse. Landslides occur, train tracks bend, buried pipes break, the ground cracks, and some houses and buildings are displaced from their foundations.
Scale 8 to 8.9: Massive destruction of houses and buildings. The ground appears wavy, objects are thrown into the air, large cracks form in the ground, bridges collapse, train tracks break, and land sinks.
Scale 9 or higher: Total destruction, with almost nothing left standing.
