re: #279 Rightwingconspirator

I think the energy disperses at a squared rate… I have not been able to find out for sure.

As a first approximation, that’s true. But reality isn’t so simple: waves, for example, reflect off other coastlines and can converge on a single point, multiplying their impact. The same thing can happen locally, where reflections from an enclosing region concentrate energy on a small area. And the topography of the ocean bottom also plays a role; long, shallow seabeds help to dissipate energy through friction, while steep, deep ones tend to focus the energy of the incoming wave and dump it all onshore nearly intact.

But in general, yes, the farther away from the epicenter, the safer you’ll be. It’s just not a good idea to make assumptions in such circumstances; pessimism is often your best friend.