Charles Richter
Charles Richter | |
---|---|
Scientific career | |
Fields | Seismology, physics |
Institutions | California Institute of Technology |
Charles Francis Richter (
Childhood and education
Richter was born in
Career
Richter went to work at the
The pair designed a
Richter remained at the Carnegie Institution until 1936, when he obtained a post at the California Institute of Technology, where Beno Gutenberg worked. Gutenberg and Richter published Seismicity of the Earth in 1941. Its revised edition, published in 1954, is considered a standard reference in the field.[3]
Richter became a full professor at the California Institute of Technology in 1952. In 1958, he published
After the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, the city cited Richter's warnings as important in preventing many deaths. Richter had retired in 1970.[4]
Richter magnitude scale
At the time when Richter began a collaboration with Gutenberg, the only way to rate shocks was a scale developed in 1902 by the Italian priest and geologist
The scale developed by Richter and Gutenberg (which became known by Richter's name only) was instead an absolute measure of an earthquake's intensity. Richter used a
Richter chose to use the term "magnitude" to describe an earthquake's strength because of his early interest in
The Richter scale was published in 1935 and immediately became the standard measure of earthquake intensity. Richter did not seem concerned that Gutenberg's name was not included at first; but in later years, after Gutenberg was already dead, Richter began to insist for his colleague to be recognized for expanding the scale to apply to earthquakes all over the globe, not just in southern California. Since 1935, several other magnitude scales have been developed.
Personal life
Richter was an active and avowed
At his retirement party, a group of Caltech colleagues called the "Quidnuncs" played and sang a ditty titled "Richter Scale", which told in ballad style of earthquakes in American history. Richter was initially shy about the song, thinking it demeaned science.[8] However, the author of the song, Kent Clark, stated in a 1989 interview that eventually Richter enjoyed it.[8]
Richter died of
Works
- Richter, CF (1976). "Earthquake Light in Focus". Science. 194 (4262): 259. PMID 17738034.
- —; Archambeau, C. B.; Brune, J. N.; Anderson, D. L.; Smith, S. W.; Al, J. H.; Bai, L. F.; Ryall, A.; Boucher, G.; Emilian, C.; Harrisoi, C. G. A.; Swansoi, M. (1970). "Earthquakes and Nuclear Detonations". Science. 167 (3920): 1011–1014. PMID 17749620.
- — (1969). "Transversely Aligned Seismicity and Concealed Structure". Science. 166 (3902): 173–178. PMID 17731474.
- — (1958). "New Dimensions in Seismology: Earthquakes are characterized by geographical position, instant of occurrence, depth, and magnitude". Science. 128 (3317): 175–182. PMID 17814547.
- — (1956). "Dangerous Dagger". Science. 123 (3200): 723. PMID 17740174.
- — (1943). "Mathematical Questions in Seismology" (PDF). Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 49 (7): 477–493. .
- —; Gutenberg, B (1936). "Magnitude and Energy of Earthquakes" (PDF). Science. 83 (2147): 183–185. PMID 17770563.
- — (1935). "An instrumental earthquake magnitude scale" (PDF). Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 25 (1–2): 1–32. doi:10.1785/BSSA0250010001. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 30, 2013.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Hough 2007, p. 10
- ^ Scheid, Ann (March 1982). "Charles F Richter – How It Was" (PDF). Engineering & Science.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Charles F. Richter". UXL newsmakers. 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Laurence A. Marschall (February 2007). "Richter's Scale: Measure of an Earthquake, Measure of a Man". Natural History Magazine.
- ^ Spall, Henry (1980). "Charles F. Richter - An Interview". Archived from the original on March 8, 2012.
- ^ Hough 2007, pp. 7, 163, 168.
- ^ Hough 2007, pp. 164–168.
- ^ a b Erwin, Shelley (January 24, 1989). "J. Kent Clark (1917–2008)" (PDF). California Institute of Technology.
- ^ Wilford, John Noble (October 1, 1985). "CHARLES RICHTER, QUAKE EXPERT, DIES". The New York Times. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- Hough, Susan Elizabeth (2007). Richter's scale : measure of an earthquake, measure of a man. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 1. ISBN 9780691128078.
External links
- Charles Richter interview, at USGS
- Charles Richter Quotations
- Charles F. Richter Papers, Caltech Archives