What is the scale that accurately rates the size of seismic waves only for small nearby earthquakes?

The scale that accurately rates the size of seismic waves for small nearby earthquakes is the Richter scale. Developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter, it quantifies the amplitude of seismic waves recorded by seismographs, allowing for the measurement of an earthquake's magnitude. However, it is most effective for local earthquakes, as it tends to underestimate larger quakes and is less applicable for events farther away. For larger or distant earthquakes, the moment magnitude scale (Mw) is often used instead.