For uniform slip on a shear fault, scalar seismic moment is , with shear modulus , fault area and slip magnitude . More generally it integrates rigidity-weighted slip. It measures source strength rather than radiated energy alone.
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Seismic moment is a measure of the size of an earthquake in terms of the energy released during the seismic event. It is a more comprehensive and scientifically useful quantity than the moment magnitude scale (Mw), which is commonly used to report earthquake magnitudes.