8

Science
Quarter 2 – Module 3: How
Seismic Waves Provide
Information of the Earth’s
Interior
Science – Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 3: How Seismic Waves Provide Information About the Earth’s
Interior!

First Edition, 2020

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 8

Science
Quarter 2 – Module 3: How
Seismic Waves Provide
Information of the Earth’s
Interior
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Science – Grade 8 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on How
Seismic Waves Provide Information About the Earth’s Interior!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or
facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum
while overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also
aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

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For the learner:

Welcome to the Science – Grade 8 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on How
Seismic Waves Provide Information About the Earth’s Interior!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often
used to depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create
and accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies
and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to

check what you already know about the
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link

the current lesson with the previous one.

What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be

introduced to you in various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the

lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent

practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank

sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.

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 What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will
help you transfer your new knowledge or skill
into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your

level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given

to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in developing

this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

This module in Science is written and design for the Grade 8 students in
response to the continuity plan of the Department of Education. It aims to continue
in educating learners at the comfort of their home. A key goal of Module 2 is for
learners to understand earthquakes.

After accomplishing the module, the students are expected to;

a. explain how earthquake waves provide information about the interior
of the earth. (S8ES-IIc-17)

What I Know

Let us test your knowledge about the earth’s interior and waves first.

Direction: A. Arrange the jumbled letters to reveal the correct answer.

1. It is considered the hottest layer of the earth.

ORCE

2. The layer of the earth where all of us live.

RUSCT

3. This is the layer where “hot molten rock” called magma is found.
ANTLEM

4. In this layer, liquefied nickel and iron are found.

NIREN ROCE

5. It is the solid rocky sphere of the earth composed of the crust and the
upper part of the mantle.
TILHOSHEREP

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 B. Identify the numbered layers of the earth.

Figure 1a. Layers of the Earth

Answer:

1. _________________________
2. _________________________
3. _________________________
4. _________________________

C. Answer the following questions.

1. What instrument is used to detect and record seismic waves?

2. The lines in the seismograph represents _______.

3. Where does seismic waves originate?

4. Scientists that study earthquake.

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 Lesson How Seismic Waves Provide
Information About the
3 Information of the Earth

Even though earthquakes cause destruction, they also bring some

opportunities for scientific study. Earth’s interior is not subject to direct observation.
Although much research has been done on the earth’s interior, these studies are
confined only within certain depths of the crust.

How did scientists develop theories about earth’s interior? How did they know
that the inner core, the mantle and the crust are solid while the outer core is liquid?

In this lesson, we will find out how.

What’s In

Before we continue on the discussion about how seismic waves provide

information on the earth’s interior, let’s try to explore the layers of the earth and
familiarize their compositions and description.

Activity 1
Identify the layers of the earth described.

A
Crust

B
Mantle

D
Inner Core
C
Outer Core Figure 1b. Layers of the Earth

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_____________1. It is the layer of the earth where we live.

_____________2. It is where you can find the hot “molten rock” called magma.

_____________3. It is considered the hottest part of the earth.

_____________4. The part of the earth where liquefied iron and nickel are found.

_____________5. The part where earthquakes are felt.

Our planet earth has layers with distinctive features that plays an important
role in the transmission of seismic waves from the inner layer to the outer part.

What’s New

Notes to the Teacher

This module prepares the students to understand how
seismic waves provide information about the interior of the
earth.

Activity 1

At the end of the activity, the students shall be able to;

a. identify the labelled parts of the illustration, and

b. describe seismic waves.

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 Identify the labeled parts of the illustration. Choose the correct answer from the
box.

4
5

Figure 2. Interior of the Earth

Epicenter Focus Fault

Fault Scrap Seismic waves

Earthquake

Answer:

1.__________________
2.__________________

3.__________________

4.__________________
5.__________________

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Activity 2

Read the article below and answer the questions that follow.

Seismic wave, vibration generated by an earthquake, explosion,

or similar energetic source and spread within the Earth or along its
surface. Earthquakes generate four principal types of elastic waves; two,
known as body waves, travel within the Earth, whereas the other two,
called surface waves, travel along its surface. Seismographs record
the amplitude and frequency of seismic waves and yield information
about the Earth and its subsurface structure. Artificially generated
seismic waves recorded during seismic surveys are used to collect data
in oil and gas prospecting and engineering.

Questions:

1. What are seismic waves?

2. Give the two types of seismic waves.
3. Give some importance of seismic waves?

What is It

What is the difference between body waves and surface waves, and between P-
waves and S-waves?

Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth. On the other hand,
surface waves spread only at the interface between two different media, like the
interface between Earth and atmosphere (i.e. the surface of the Earth).

Body waves are of two types: Primary waves (also called P-waves, or pressure
waves) and Secondary waves (S-waves, or shear waves).

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 P-waves are compression waves. They can propagate in solid or liquid material
and travel faster through solids. Changes in the speed of earthquake vibrations give
scientists an idea of the physical properties of various depths of the earth’s interior.

S-waves are shear waves. They only propagate in solid material.

The crust and the upper part of the mantle made up the solid lithosphere,
thus, seismic waves travel fast in this part.

Seismic waves slow down below the lithosphere. The very high temperature
that melts rocks, making the molten material behave like a fluid made this
observation. Scientists called this region of the mantle asthenosphere.

Below the asthenosphere, seismic waves travel fast again, indicating that the
lower part of the mantle is solid.

Similar phenomenon is observed in the core where seismic waves travel slowly
through the outer core indicating that it is molten due to extremely high temperature.
By studying the trajectories of S-waves, scientists could prove that the Earth had a
liquid outer core.

While in the inner core, it is solid in spite of the very high temperature. Most
probably, the very high pressure in the deepest part of the earth keeps it solid.

What’s More

Activity 1. Complete the table below.

Earth’s Layer Waves motion

1. Crust
2. Mantle
3. Outer core
4. Inner core

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Activity 2. Read the article below and answer the question that follow.

How do scientists gather information about the Earth's interior?

By: Steve Baker

A lot of the information is gathered by seeing how seismographic

waves (e.g from Earthquakes and large explosions) travel through the
planet. By positioning seismic wave detectors in many places around the
world, we can see how waves caused by a single event (such as an
earthquake) travelled through the core of the planet.

The time, speed, intensity and direction of the waves at each

seismometer reveals how the waves slowed down, speeded up or were
refracted by the various rock layers.

Just as we can use an MRI machine to make pictures of the inside of

the human body in three dimensions. So geologists can build up an
image of the inside of the Earth.

We can figure out the density and speed of sound of each layer - and
from that make reasonable guesses about their compositions.

Additional information comes from variations in surface gravity,

which we can measure with great sensitivity from orbit - and also small-
scale variations in the Earth’s magnetic field - which both reveal more
information about the interior.

Additionally, we know the compositions of the materials thrown out

from volcanic eruptions.

There is still much that we don’t know about the interior of the planet
- but we know enough to get a pretty good idea of its’ makeup.

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Questions:

1. What devise is used by scientist in order to get information about

seismic waves?
2. What data are gathered by scientist to identify the behavior of the
seismic waves registered in the seismometer?
3. To what does geologist compare the imaging process of earth’s interior
using seismic waves?

What I Have Learned

Complete the statement to generalize the lesson.

Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks

along a ___________. This sudden release of energy causes the ________ waves that
make the ground shake.

There are two types of seismic waves that cause earthquake; the
____________wave and the ______________wave.

Body waves are those waves which can travel through the interior of the earth.
There are two types of body waves. The ___________wave and ________wave. These
waves can travel through both liquid & ______________. S wave can only travel
through the solid & not _________.

Surface wave travel on the interface like between earth surface and
atmosphere. Surface waves have larger amplitudes and longer wavelengths than
body waves & more destructive. There are of two types; the __________wave and
________wave.

Using these waves scientists can have information about the interior of the
earth.

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 What I Can Do

Using the illustration below, identify which is P- wave and S-wave.

Explain your answer.

Figure 3. P-S Waves

Basis Pointing System

Answer is correct and with given 5

explanation /example.

With correct answer but no further 3

explanation.

With incorrect answer. 1

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 Assessment

Direction: Answer the questions below.

Use the illustrations on the right to get
the correct answer.

1. What are the two types of seismic

waves?
a._______________________________
b._________________________________
2. What are the two types of body
waves?
a.___________________________________
b.___________________________________
3. What produces seismic waves?
a.__________________________________
b.__________________________________
4. Which seismic wave can travel through
earth?
a.__________________________________
b.__________________________________
5.Which seismic wave can travel to the
mantle, not the outer core (liquid iron)?
a.__________________________________
b.__________________________________
6.Which seismic wave only travel on the
earth surface?
a.__________________________________
b.__________________________________
7. What are the two types of surface
waves?
a.___________________________________
b.___________________________________
8.Which seismic waves stay on Earth’s
Surface?
_____________________________________
9.Which seismic wave refracts and cannot
penetrate the core? Figure 4. Seismic Waves
_____________________________________
Source: http://Scienceblogs.com
_____________________________________
10.Which seismic wave can penetrate the core but refracts?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

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 Additional Activities

Direction: Draw how seismic waves travel in the different layers of the earth using
the patterns for fast and for slow.

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What’s More:
Activity 1 What’s New
1. Crust- Fast Activity 1
2. Mantle- Slow
3. Outer core- Slow 1. Fault scrap
4. Inner core- Fast 2. Epicenter
3. Focus
4. Seismic waves
5. Fault
Activity 2 Activity 2
Students’ answer may vary. Students’ answer may vary.
What I Know:
What’s In: A.
Activity 1 1. Core
2. Crust
1. A 3. Mantle
2. B 4. Inner core
3. D 5. Lithosphere
4. C B.
5. A 1. Crust
2. Mantle
3. Outer core
4. Inner core
C.
1. Seismograph
2. Seismic Waves
3. Focus
4. Seismologist
Answer Key
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Additional Activity
To be recorded.
Assessment What I Can Do
Activity 1
To be recorded. Students’ answer may vary
References
2012. In Science and Technology, by Marie Jessica B. Alumaga and et al., 98-99. Quezon City: Vibal
Publishing House, Inc.

Baker, Steve. 2018. Quora. August 27. Accessed October 8, 2020. https://www.quora.com/How-do-
scientists-gather-information-about-the-Earths-interior.

Britannica, Editors of Encyclopedia. n.d. Britannica. Accessed October 8, 2020.

https://www.britannica.com/science/seismic-wave.

n.d. Lumen Geology. Accessed October 5, 2020.

https://www.courses.lumenlearning.com/geo/chapter/reading-studying-the-earths-
interior/.

n.d. Quora. Accessed October 7, 2020. https://www.quora.com/what-is-the-difference-between-

surfce-and-body waves.

n.d. quora.com/what-is-the-difference--between-surface-and-body waves. Accessed October 7,

2020.

n.d. Science Learning Hub. Accessed October 8, 2020.https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/352-

seismic-waves.

n.d. USGS Science for a changing world. Accessed October 9, 2020.

https://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/events/1906calif/18april/earthwaves.php.

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