Hi Todd. It would require a lot of 2.3 earthquakes to relive the same amount of energy as one M>5.3. To be exact it would require 1,048,576 M>2.3s one right after the other.

The destruction caused by a quake does not necessarily depend upon the magnitude of the quake. It depends on how close the quake is to the surface and how long it lasts. It also depends on whether the quake is a strike slip, or a thrust quake.

Hollister is located 27 miles to the south of the Loma Prieta quake yet we had less damage then San Francisco which is located about 60 miles north of the quake. This was most likely caused by the way the energy propagated.

As you can see the magnitude of the quake is important in regards to the amount of damage done, but it’s still only a part of the picture. Take Care…Don in creepy town