If the separation between plates is doubled, the energy released during an earthquake will increase significantly. This is because the amount of energy stored in a fault is directly proportional to the area of the fault that is slipping. Doubling the separation between plates will double the area of the fault that is slipping, and thus double the amount of energy released. The energy released during an earthquake is measured by its magnitude, which is a logarithmic scale that ranges from 1 to 10. Doubling the energy released will increase the magnitude of the earthquake by one unit.
