mega-quake
mega-quake
A geological event which has been defined(1) In the media as an earthquake of 7.0 or greater on the Richter scale; or
(2) By the US Geological Survey as a magnitude-10 or greater earthquake. Magnitude is based in part on the length of the geological fault—i.e., the longer the fault, the larger the earthquake. There are no known faults long enough to generate a magnitude-10 “mega-quake.”