THE CENTRAL AMERICAN QUAKE THAT HIT DURING THE NOON HOUR REGISTERED 7.6 ON THE RICHTER SCALE. PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF GEOLOGY DR. FRANK REVETTA SPOKE WITH US AS HE WAS SHOWING HIS STUDENTS THE DATA FROM HIS INSTRUMENTS. HE SAYS A 7.6 QUAKE IS ABOUT THE MOST POWERFUL ON EARTH. 

TO GIVE SOME PERSPECTIVE ON HOW POWERFUL THE COSTA RICAN EARTHQUAKE WAS, THE APRIL 20^TH, 2002 QUAKE THAT WAS EPICENTERED IN THE TOWN OF AUSABLE IN CLINTON COUNTY THAT DID HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DAMAGE THROUGHOUT NORTHERN NEW YORK WAS A MAGNITUDE 5.1.   EACH STEP ON THE RICHTER SCALE IS A BASE-10 EXPONENT, NOT A UNIT OF 1, SO A 7.6 IS MORE THAN 20 TIMES AS VIOLENT WITH AN ENERGY RELEASE THOUSANDS OF TIMES GREATER.

THE QUAKE THAT HIT THE PHILLIPINES LATE LAST MONTH WAS A 7.9