AS3: Location and Magnitude of an Earthquake Name: Nicholas Horton

Objective – Interpret real world data to draw conclusions by using seismic wave data to locate the epicenter and
calculate the magnitude of an earthquake

Directions Part I: Determining the relationship between S-P interval and Epicenter distance
1. Using the table of travel times below, make a graph that shows how the travel time of the earthquake waves
changes as the distance from the epicenter changes.

90
80
70
60
50
Time (second) 40

30
20
10
0
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Disaance (km)

2. Using a straightedge, create a line of best fit for your data points, then answer the question 1-3 below.

Station Distance (km) S-P Interval (s)

1 194 20
2 450 43
3 786 80
4 303 29
5 371 41
6 612 64
7 682 71
8 679 65
9 351 36
10 509 53
Make sure that your graph has the following items: a title, labels for the axes, units, and a line of best fit.

Q1. Briefly describe the relationship between the S-P interval and the distance from the epicenter. Explain
why this happens.
With increasing distance from the earthquake, the time difference between the arrival of the P waves and the
arrival of the S waves increases. Put more simply, the higher the time between the S and P waves (the S-P interval),
the farther the distance.

Q2. Based on your line of best fit, what would be the distance of a station that has an S-P interval of 45s?
465km
Q3. What would be the S-P interval of a station that is 650 km away from the epicenter______56__________

Directions Part II: Determining the location of the Earthquake

1. Look at the example seismogram below and familiarize yourself with the different parts.

2. Using the seismograms on the separate page, determine the difference in arrival times for the S and P waves
at each of the three locations. Enter this in your data table under S-P Interval.

3. Use your travel time graph and the S-P interval to determine the distance to the epicenter of the earthquake
from each station. Enter this information in your data table under distance
4. Using your compass and the scale on your map, draw circles around each station using the distance you
Station Location S-P Interval Distance Amplitude calculated in the previous step.
5. The location of the earthquake
(s) is where the 3 circles
(km) intersect. – Check
(mm) with your teacher on your results.
6. Enter this information below your data table.
LAS Vegas, NAS 64 640 2
Data Table
Phoneix, AZ 50 500 1

Fresno, CA 74 740 0.5

 Location of the Earthquake _________ Fresno, CA __________

Directions Part III: Determining the Magnitude of the earthquake

1. Now read the amplitude (maximum height of the S wave) of the earthquakes on the seismograms and
record it in your data table.
2. Use the “Richter Scale” nomogram and a straight edge to determine the magnitude of this earthquake.

3. Magnitude of the Earthquake _________5___

4. Write a conclusion paragraph that explains how you were able to determine the location and the magnitude
of the earthquake. This paragraph should also include all sources of error that were encountered in this
exercise, ESPECIALLY if your circles did not intersect at an exact point. Be sure that you use all the
vocabulary learned in this exercise.

To figure out just where that earthquake happened, you need to look at your seismogram and you need to know
what at least two other seismographs recorded for the same earthquake. You will also need a map of the world, a
ruler, a pencil, and a compass for drawing circles on the map.

1. Measure the distance between the first P wave and the first S wave. In this case, the first P and S waves are
24 seconds apart.
2. Find the point for 24 seconds on the left side of the chart below and mark that point. According to the chart,
this earthquake's epicenter was 215 kilometers away.
3. Measure the amplitude of the strongest wave. The amplitude is the height (on paper) of the strongest wave.
On this seismogram, the amplitude is 23 millimeters. Find 23 millimeters on the right side of the chart and
mark that point.
4. Place a ruler (or straight edge) on the chart between the points you marked for the distance to the epicenter
and the amplitude. The point where your ruler crosses the middle line on the chart marks
the magnitude (strength) of the earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.0.

You have just figured out how far your seismograph is from the epicenter and how strong the earthquake was, but
you still don't know exactly where the earthquake occurred. This is where the compass, the map, and the other
seismograph records come in.

Check the scale on your map. It should look something like a piece of a ruler. All maps are different. On your map,
one centimeter could be equal to 100 kilometers or something like that.
Figure out how long the distance to the epicenter (in centimeters) is on your map. For example, say your map has a
scale where one centimeter is equal to 100 kilometers. If the epicenter of the earthquake is 215 kilometers away,
that equals 2.15 centimeters on the map.
Using your compass, draw a circle with a radius equal to the number you came up with in Step #2 (the radius is the
distance from the center of a circle to its edge). The center of the circle will be the location of your seismograph.
The epicenter of the earthquake is somewhere on the edge of that circle.
4. Do the same thing for the distance to the epicenter that the other seismograms recorded (with the location of
those seismographs at the center of their circles). All of the circles should overlap. The point where all of the circles
overlap is the approximate epicenter of the earthquake.