The natural disaster often measured using the Richter scale is an earthquake. This scale quantifies the magnitude of seismic activity, demonstrating how much energy is released during an earthquake. The Richter scale is logarithmic, meaning that each whole number increase corresponds to a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and approximately 31.6 times more energy release. This scale is essential for assessing the potential damage caused by earthquakes and for informing emergency preparedness strategies.