Earthquakes 1 Recording SE

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________
Student Exploration: Earthquakes 1 – Recording Station
Vocabulary: body wave, earthquake, epicenter, fault, focus, P-wave, S-wave, seismic wave,
seismogram, seismograph
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Have you ever experienced an earthquake?

No______________________
If so, what did it feel like? I’ve never been in one___________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Earthquakes are usually caused by the sudden movement of

rocks along a fault, or fracture, in Earth’s crust. The most
famous fault in the U.S. is the San Andreas Fault in California.
What major cities are located near the San Andreas Fault?
San Francisco Los Angeles

_________________________________________________
Gizmo Warm-up
The Earthquakes 1 – Recording Station Gizmo simulates the
seismic waves released by an earthquake. To begin, look at the
key on the bottom left side of the Gizmo.
1. The epicenter of the earthquake is the point on Earth’s

surface closest to the focus, or origin, of the earthquake.
A. What symbol represents the epicenter? The target
B. What symbol represents the recording station? Triangle with an A in the middle
2. Click Play ( ) and observe the seismic waves leaving the epicenter of the earthquake.
A. What types of seismic waves are released? P wave and S waves
B. Look at the Recording station detector on the upper left side of the Gizmo. What
happens when the seismic waves hit the recording station? It created lines
2019
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
 Click Reset ( ).
Reading a
 Check that the Distance from the station to the
seismogram
center of earthquake is 860 km.
Introduction: An earthquake releases an enormous amount of energy, which passes through

Earth’s interior in the form of body waves. There are two types of body waves: P-waves
(primary waves) and S-waves (secondary waves).
Scientists study earthquakes with the aid of an instrument called a seismograph. When seismic
waves reach the seismograph, a graphical record, or seismogram, is produced.
Question: How are P- and S-waves shown on a seismogram?
1. Observe: Click Play, and then click Pause ( ) after the purple P-wave hits the station.
A. Look at the upper right corner of the seismogram. At what time did the P-wave hit?
148 seconds
B. What is shown on the seismogram at this time? No activity
2. Observe: Click Play, and then click Pause after the green S-wave hits the station.
A. At what time did the S-wave hit? 254 seconds
B. What is shown on the seismogram at this time? Seismic activity in small lines
3. Describe: Click Play and wait for the vibrations to stop. Suppose you were at the
recording station when the earthquake hit. Based on the pattern of waves on the
seismogram, what did you experience during the earthquake? It’s starts of very light with
some shaking and it gets more intense by the minute.
4. Explore: Click Reset, and drag the recording station closer to the epicenter. Click Play.
A. How does this seismogram differ from the one you first investigated? It starts off
more aggressive
B. What would this earthquake feel like? It’s intense at first and then goes away
2019
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
 Click Reset.
Distance to the
 Place the recording station 300 km from the
epicenter
epicenter. (Does not have to be exact.)
Question: How can you determine how far you are from the center of an earthquake?
1. Observe: Click Play, and observe the P- and S-waves. Which waves are faster? P wave
2. Measure: Wait until the seismogram is complete. Turn on Show time

probe. Place the left (green) probe on the first P-wave, and the right
(blue) probe on the first S-wave. (See example at right.)
What is the Time difference (∆t) between the P- and S-waves? 44

seconds
3. Predict: How do you think the time difference between the first P-wave and the first S-wave
will change as the distance to the epicenter increased? The gap in time will increase
4. Gather data: Place the recording station at each of the following distances to the epicenter.
(Does not need to be exact.) Measure the P- and S-wave time difference (∆t) on the
seismogram at each distance, and record the values in the table on the left.
Distance
∆t (s)
(km)
100 13
200 40
400 60
600 77
800 106
1000 129
5. Make a graph: Plot your data on the graph to the right of the data table. Draw a line to
connect the points in order. What
(Activity B continued on next page)
2019
Activity B (continued from previous page)
6. Draw conclusions: How does the time difference (∆t) between the first P-wave and the
first S-wave relate to the distance to the epicenter? The difference increases
7. Apply: Suppose a recording station was located 500 km from the epicenter. What will be the
time difference (∆t) between the first P-wave and the first S-wave? 60 seconds
Check your answer using the Gizmo. Were you correct? Yes
8. Practice: On each of the seismograms below, label the first P-wave and the first S-wave.
Estimate the time difference (∆t), and then use your graph to find the distance to the
epicenter. (As in the Gizmo, each vertical line represents 50 seconds.)
∆t: 104 Distance: 800km
∆t: 64 Distance 600km:
∆t: 105 Distance: 800km
2019

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Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Earthquakes 1 – Recording Station

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. Have you ever experienced an earthquake?

If so, what did it feel like? I’ve never been in one___________________

2. Earthquakes are usually caused by the sudden movement of

San Francisco Los Angeles

1. The epicenter of the earthquake is the point on Earth’s

A. What symbol represents the epicenter? The target

A. What types of seismic waves are released? P wave and S waves

Introduction: An earthquake releases an enormous amount of energy, which passes through

Question: How are P- and S-waves shown on a seismogram?

B. What is shown on the seismogram at this time? No activity

A. At what time did the S-wave hit? 254 seconds

2. Measure: Wait until the seismogram is complete. Turn on Show time

What is the Time difference (∆t) between the P- and S-waves? 44

connect the points in order. What

(Activity B continued on next page)

∆t: 104 Distance: 800km

∆t: 64 Distance 600km:

∆t: 105 Distance: 800km

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