In Reply to: earthquake in bali today!!! posted by renae on Tuesday, 1. March 2005 at 14:10 Bali Time:
An Earthquake measuring 5 on the richter scale does not warrant three exclamation marks. It's just a bit of rattle and shake. Unless you happen to be sitting under something heavy that is precariously balanced on a shelf above your head, you are in no danger.
There are hundreds of these quakes every year.
The ricter scale works like this:
A number 5 contains 30 times the amount of energy as a number 4, and 1/30th as much as a number 6.
A 7 is 30 times stronger than a 6, therefore 900 times stronger than a 5.
The quake that caused the tsunami was a 9. Therefore it created energy 810,000 (30x30x30x30) stronger than the 5 in Bali today.
Don't panic. It can be contagious.