Description
To understand Plate Tectonic processes on the Earth, and to better understand where future earthquakes are likely to occur, it is important to know how to locate earthquakes as they occur. In this activity students use recent, three-component seismic data to locate a global earthquake.
Audience
Grades 5 to 12
Time
Approximately 1 hour
Objective
By the end of this activity, the student will be able to:
1. Identify P and S waves on seismograms,
2. Determine the distance of an epicenter from a seismic station using travel time curves,
3. Locate the epicenter of an earthquake by triangulation, and
4. Calculate the time of origin of an earthquake based on seismic data
Supporting Resources
Full version of activity (.pdf version - 20 MB) (.doc version - 5MB)
Slideshow for use in class (.zip folder containing presentation and .mov file - 7 MB)
Fetch recent seismic data for use with the activity from the Rapid Earthquake Viewer
Download PDF background information and links to short video lectures that help understand the method.
Download an interactive Flash animation that uses a simple model using the arrival times of P and S waves to learn the location of an earthquake epicenter. Although computer algorithms using P wave arrivals are used by scientists today, this method is valid for introductory lessons. (To open drag and drop into a browswer)
Download IRIS one-pager, "How are earthquakes located?"
