The Richter scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes. Developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter, this logarithmic scale quantifies the amount of energy released at the earthquake's origin or focus. Each whole number increase on the Richter scale reflects a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and approximately 31.6 times more energy release. While it was widely used for many years, the Richter scale has largely been replaced by the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw), which provides a more accurate measure of larger earthquakes by considering various geological factors.