How to calculate the strongest earthquake in the US since 1900

Strongest earthquake in US since 1901 in the western United States.
pic.twitter.com/z3c7wzq6lKp — USA Today (@USATODAY) November 9, 2018 A powerful earthquake struck central New Mexico on Saturday night, killing at least nine people and leaving at least 16 others injured, according to the US Geological Survey.
The temblor, which came just as the USGS was surveying a dam, was registered at 5.9 on the Richter scale.
It was the strongest since 1900, according a USGS statement.
The quake hit at 8:53 p.m. local time (1253 GMT).
The epicenter was located at about 13 miles (22 kilometers) northwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“This was a very strong earthquake,” New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez said.
“There was a strong aftershock.
We were in the middle of the river, but we’re lucky no one was hurt.”
She added that the dam, built in 1928, was not damaged.
Martinez, who was in Albuquerque, New York, to attend a meeting of the National Governors Association, said the dam was not under active repair but was in good condition.
She also urged people to use caution and be cautious in their daily activities.
“It’s going to be a long night,” she said.
The USGS also reported a magnitude-6.1 earthquake in California, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The National Weather Service said it was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3, in a sparsely populated area near the town of La Mesa.
“We are not expecting any major damage,” meteorologist Ryan Maurer said.
A magnitude-5.3 quake hit southern California, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Los Angeles.
“The earthquake was about 20 times stronger than the previous major earthquake that struck the area in October 2020,” according to NWS.
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Colorado, causing at least six minor injuries, including one death, the Colorado Avalanche Center said.
At least two people were killed and 10 were injured in a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that occurred at 7:23 p.y.
(1223 GMT), according to officials in the Denver suburb of Denver.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in central Missouri, the Associated Press reported.
The earthquake was centered about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east of Fort Snelling, near St. Louis, Missouri.
“That’s the strongest one in 20 years,” Colorado Avalanche spokesperson David Williams said.
Residents were being urged to stay indoors.
The weather service also issued a warning for a magnitude 4.2 earthquake near a community in Colorado Springs, the AP reported.