Hiroo Kanamori discusses the energy release in great earthquakes, highlighting the limitations of the conventional magnitude scale M, which becomes saturated for large earthquakes. He proposes using the strain energy drop W0, derived from the seismic moment M0, to estimate energy released. W0 is calculated as (Δσ/2μ)M0, where Δσ is the stress drop and μ is rigidity. If the stress drop is complete, W0 represents the seismic wave energy. A new magnitude scale, Mw, is defined based on W0, which avoids saturation and provides a more accurate measure for great earthquakes. The Mw scale connects smoothly to the surface wave magnitude Ms for earthquakes with rupture dimensions of about 100 km or less. The energy release curve based on W0 differs from previous estimates from Ms. Analysis of W0 over 15 years (1950–1965) shows it is more than an order of magnitude larger than earlier periods. The amplitude of the Chandler wobble correlates well with W0, suggesting a possible link between the wobble and seismic activity. The number of moderate to large earthquakes increased when the wobble amplitude was high but decreased when W0 was largest. This may be due to the wobble triggering seismic activity and accelerating plate motion, leading to great earthquakes. The rotation rate of the Earth may also influence plate motion and the Chandler wobble. The conclusions are that W0 represents seismic wave energy under Orowan's condition, provides a more accurate energy budget, defines a non-saturating Mw scale, and correlates with the Chandler wobble and seismic activity. The study emphasizes the importance of W0 and Mw in understanding earthquake energy release and global seismic processes.Hiroo Kanamori discusses the energy release in great earthquakes, highlighting the limitations of the conventional magnitude scale M, which becomes saturated for large earthquakes. He proposes using the strain energy drop W0, derived from the seismic moment M0, to estimate energy released. W0 is calculated as (Δσ/2μ)M0, where Δσ is the stress drop and μ is rigidity. If the stress drop is complete, W0 represents the seismic wave energy. A new magnitude scale, Mw, is defined based on W0, which avoids saturation and provides a more accurate measure for great earthquakes. The Mw scale connects smoothly to the surface wave magnitude Ms for earthquakes with rupture dimensions of about 100 km or less. The energy release curve based on W0 differs from previous estimates from Ms. Analysis of W0 over 15 years (1950–1965) shows it is more than an order of magnitude larger than earlier periods. The amplitude of the Chandler wobble correlates well with W0, suggesting a possible link between the wobble and seismic activity. The number of moderate to large earthquakes increased when the wobble amplitude was high but decreased when W0 was largest. This may be due to the wobble triggering seismic activity and accelerating plate motion, leading to great earthquakes. The rotation rate of the Earth may also influence plate motion and the Chandler wobble. The conclusions are that W0 represents seismic wave energy under Orowan's condition, provides a more accurate energy budget, defines a non-saturating Mw scale, and correlates with the Chandler wobble and seismic activity. The study emphasizes the importance of W0 and Mw in understanding earthquake energy release and global seismic processes.