Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. Since magnitudes are given on a logarithmic scale, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake would correspond to 10 times greater ground motion than a 6.0-magnitude temblor. The total amount of energy released by the earthquake, however, goes up by a factor of 32 for every unit increase in magnitude. - See more at: http://www.livescience.com/9797-devastating-haiti-earthquake-questions-answers.html#sthash.dngKpKSR.dpuf