Using the given logarithmic equation, it is found that 158.5 more energy was released by the earthquake in Peru than by the earthquake in Italy.
According to the logarithmic function given in the problem, the ratio between the amounts of energy released is given by:
log r = M1 - M2
In which M1 and M2 are the magnitudes.
In this problem, considering the earthquakes in Peru and Italy, the magnitudes are M1 = 8.1, M2 = 5.9, hence:
log r = M1 - M2
log r = 8.1 - 5.9
log r = 2.2
[tex]10^{\log{r}} = 10^{2.2}[/tex]
r = 158.5
158.5 more energy was released by the earthquake in Peru than by the earthquake in Italy.
More can be learned about logarithmic equations at https://brainly.com/question/25537936