The Global Earthquake Energy Census, Recounted Bin by Bin
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Using the published long-term average annual earthquake counts per magnitude bin of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the standard energy-magnitude relation log10 E(J) = 1.5 M + 4.8, the radiated seismic energy released worldwide is recounted bin by bin. The midpoint estimate of the global total is 5.92 x 10^17 J per year, corresponding to a mean power of 0.0188 TW. The single magnitude 8 and above bin, averaging one event per year, contributes 59.9% of the total, and events of magnitude 7 and above together contribute 88.4%. All events below magnitude 6 - more than 1.4 million events per year - contribute only 3.60%. A single magnitude 9.5 event radiates 1.12 x 10^19 J, about 19 times the entire average annual total. The annual seismic total is 0.040% of Earth's total surface heat flow (47 TW) and 0.094% of total human power use (approximately 20 TW). Because the budget is dominated by the rarest events, the 'average year' is a statistical construct that no typical year resembles.
Author: Aldred, William Alexander
Language: English
Subfield: Geophysics
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225729383
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: