ake ▁engineering ▁through ▁development ▁of ▁building ▁codes ▁for ▁earth qu ake ▁pr one ▁areas . ▁The ▁city ▁government ▁of ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁removed ▁many ▁orn aments ▁and ▁corn ices ▁from ▁municipal ▁buildings ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁Rich ter ' s ▁aw aren ess ▁campaign s . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 1 ▁San ▁Fernando ▁earth qu ake , ▁the ▁city ▁c ited ▁Rich ter ' s ▁warnings ▁as ▁important ▁in ▁prevent ing ▁many ▁death s . ▁Rich ter ▁had ▁retired ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 0 . ▁ ▁Rich ter ▁magnitude ▁scale ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁when ▁Rich ter ▁began ▁a ▁collaboration ▁with ▁G uten berg , ▁the ▁only ▁way ▁to ▁rate ▁shock s ▁was ▁a ▁scale ▁developed ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 2 ▁by ▁the ▁Italian ▁priest ▁and ▁ge ologist ▁Giuseppe ▁Mer cal li . ▁The ▁Mer cal li ▁scale ▁uses ▁Roman ▁numer als ▁and ▁class ifies ▁earth qu akes ▁from ▁I ▁to ▁XII , ▁depending ▁on ▁how ▁buildings ▁and ▁people ▁respond ed ▁to ▁the ▁trem or . ▁A ▁shock ▁that ▁set ▁ch and el iers ▁swing ing ▁might ▁rate ▁as ▁a ▁I ▁or ▁II ▁on ▁this ▁scale , ▁while ▁one ▁that ▁destroyed ▁huge ▁buildings ▁and ▁created ▁pan ic ▁in ▁a ▁crow ded ▁city ▁might ▁count ▁as ▁an ▁X . ▁The ▁obvious ▁problem ▁with ▁the ▁Mer cal li ▁scale ▁was ▁that ▁it ▁re lied ▁on ▁subject ive ▁measures ▁of ▁how ▁well ▁a ▁building ▁had ▁been ▁constructed ▁and ▁how ▁used ▁to ▁these ▁sorts ▁of ▁cr