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SCIENCE
Quarter I – Week 2
Plate Tectonics: Distribution
of Earthquake Epicenters

CONTEXTUALIZED LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF PUERTO PRINCESA CITY
Science – Grade 10
Contextualized Learning Activity Sheets (CLAS)
Quarter I- Week 2: Plate Tectonics: Distribution of Earthquake Epicenters
First Edition, 2021

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 Lesson 1

Distribution of Earthquake Epicenters

\

MELC: Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake

epicenters, and major mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory.
(S10ES-Ia-j-36.1)

Objectives: 1. Define Earthquake

2. Describe the distribution of earthquake epicenters
3. Relate the distribution of earthquake epicenters to Plate Tectonics

Let’s Try
Directions: Read each item carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer and write
your answer in the space before each number.
___1. What is an earthquake?
A. An upward thrust in the epicenter.
B. The up and down movement along the ocean floor.
C. A sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves
through Earth's rocks.
D. None of the above.
___2. Why do earthquakes generally occur at plate boundaries?
A. stress on rocks is low C. stress on rocks is greatest
B. magnetic pull is greatest D. most rocks are found in Indian
.
___3. What instrument detects and measures an earthquakes?
A. focus C. seismogram
B. seismic map D. seismograph

___4. In what location does the first motion of an earthquake occur?

A. epicenter B. focus C. mantle D. seismic gap

___5. Which area is characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes,

and is also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire?
A. English Canal C. Mid-Atlantic Ridge
B. Indian Ocean D. Circum-Pacific Belt

___6. Which of the following is NOT a cause of an earthquake?

A. Collapse of Cavern C. Lightning Strikes
B. Eruption of Volcano D. Moving Tectonic Plates
___7. Which of the following sequences correctly lists the different arrivals of seismic
waves from first to last?
A. P waves ... S waves .... Surface waves
B. Surface waves ... P waves .... S waves
C. P waves ... Surface waves ... S waves
D. S waves ... P waves .... Surface waves

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___8. How many seismograph stations are needed to locate the epicenter of an
earthquake?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4

___9. What type of seismic wave travels compressional, can travel through solids, liquids,
and gases?
A. Instant wave B. P wave C. S wave D. Surface wave

___10. What causes the up-and-down wiggles on the seismogram?

A. tsunami waves C. electromagnetic pulses
B. ground vibrations D. variations in air pressure

Let’s Explore and Discover

Have you ever participated in an Earthquake Drill in your
school? What do you think causes the shaking of the ground, that
Unlocking we need to do the “Duck, cover, and hold” during these times?
of
Diffuculties The crust is not continuous over the surface of the Earth, but
is broken into a series of massive plates. Just like pieces of jigsaw
Epicenter the puzzles, each plate has boundaries. Although it is not apparent,
point on the tectonic plates are in constant motion. The average rate of
surface of the movement is between 1 and 10 cm per year. Edges of these plates
earth directly may either move apart, collide, or slide past one another. The
above the focus. North American and Eurasian plates, for example, are moving
apart, while the Indian and Eurasian plates are colliding . The
convection current from within the Earth powers the movement of
the plates on its surface. Let us look closer to differentiate the
different types of plate boundaries.

a. DIVERGENT b. CONVERGENT c. TRANSFORM

Figure 1. Tectonic Plates Boundaries

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 Regardless of how the plates interact, when they move, energy is released. The energy
radiates outward from the fault in all directions in the form of seismic waves. The seismic
waves cause weak to violent shaking of the ground and anything on it. Earthquakes are not
randomly distributed around the earth, like volcanic eruptions, they occur near the
boundaries of tectonic plates. Look at Figure 2, why do you think there have been so many
earthquakes in the Philippines? The "Ring of Fire", also called the Circum-Pacific belt, is
the zone of earthquakes surrounding the Pacific Ocean- about 90% of the world's
earthquakes occur there. An earthquake may happen anytime either on land or on water.

Figure 2: Tectonic Plates Distribution Map

(Source: “Tectonic Plates and Their Distribution”, The Geographer Online, accessed
July 27, 2021, https://www.thegeographeronline.net/plate-tectonics.html).

The plate boundaries are

made up of many faults, when
an earthquake occurs, the
rock on one side of the fault
slips with respect to the other.
(Source: “Fault Movements”, Shake
Out, accessed July 30, 2021,
Figure 3: Fault Movements https://www.shakeout.org/download
s/ShakeOut_ES3_FaultHandModels.
pdf).

The focus or hypocenter is the place inside Earth’s

crust where an earthquake originates. When energy
is released at the focus, seismic waves travel outward
from that point in all directions. There are different
types of seismic waves, each one traveling at varying
speeds and motions.

Figure 4. Earthquake Features

(Source: Coolgeography, Earthquake Features Block
Diagram, https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE
/AQA/Restless%20Earth/Earthquakes/Earthquake
s%20background.htm, Attribution-NonCommercial
3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0).)

3
 Traveling through the interior of the
earth, body waves arrive before the
surface waves. The first kind of body wave
is the P wave or primary wave. P waves
are also known as compressional waves,
because of the pushing and pulling they
do. This is the fastest kind of seismic
wave, and, consequently, the first to
'arrive' at a seismic station. The P wave
can move through solid rock and fluids,
like water or the liquid layers of the earth. Figure 5. P and S Seismic Waves

The second type of body wave is the S wave or secondary wave. An S wave is slower
than a P wave and can only move through solid rock. It is this property of S waves that led
seismologists to conclude that the Earth's outer core is a liquid. S waves move rock
particles up and down, or side-to-side-perpendicular to the direction that the wave is
traveling in.
The difference between the arrival times of P-Waves and the S-Waves, determines the
distance of the epicenter from the seismic station. The amplitude of the S waves is used
to estimate the magnitude of the earthquake. Scientists use a method
called triangulation to determine exactly where the earthquake was.
Travelling only through the crust, surface waves are of a lower frequency than body
waves, and are easily distinguished on a seismogram. Though they arrive after body waves,
it is surface waves that are almost entirely responsible for the damage and destruction
associated with earthquakes.

(Source: “Measuring Earthquakes”, Lumen, accessed July 30,

2021, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physicalgeology/
chapter/11-3-measuring-earthquakes/)

At present, PHIVOLCS operates 108 (as of December 2020) seismic monitoring

stations all over the Philippines. Earthquakes are recorded by instruments
called seismographs. There are two ways by which we can measure the strength of an
earthquake: magnitude and intensity. Magnitude is proportional to the energy released
by an earthquake at the focus, it is frequently described using the Richter scale. Intensity
on the other hand, is the strength of an earthquake as perceived and and felt by people in
a certain locality.

(Source: “Introduction to Earthquake”, PHIVOLCS, accessed July 30, 2021,

https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph /index.php/earthquake/introduction-to-earthquake).

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 Let’s Practice
RUMBLE, TUMBLE!

Directions: Answer each question below by completing the crossword puzzle.

COLUMN A COLUMN B

5
 SHAKE IT OUT!

Directions: Analyze the Distance-Time Graph below and compute for the time lag
to find the distance of each seismic station to the epicenter. Complete the table
that follows. The first item has been answered as your guide.

(Source: “The Math You Need, When You Need It”,

accessed July 30, 2021, https://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/graphing/interpret.html).

Seismic Arrival time of Arrival time of Time Epicenter

Station P-Wave S-Wave Lag Distance
(in minutes) (in minutes) (P-S interval) ( in kilometers)

Baguio 3 5 2 1400
Olongapo 4 7
Roxas (Capiz) 11 16

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 LAB TRIANGULATION!
Directions: Using the epicenter distance from the three seismic stations in Activity 1,
draw circle around each of the stations in the given map below. The place where the
three circles intersect is the epicenter location. Mark the epicenter with an x.

Materials Needed:
Drawing compass
Ruler, string, and pin (if drawing compass is not available)
Pen

.Aurora

(Source: “Philippine Map “, Australian National University, cccessed August 9, 2021,

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/mapsonline/sites/default/files/styles/cartogis_700x700/p
ublic/maps/bitmap/standard/2013/10/12-231_Philippines_bw.png?itok=znf-xwXg)

2,500km 5,000 km

Scale of kilometers, each box is 500 km

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 Let’s Sum It Up
Directions: Complete the sentences by filling in the correct words. Then, unscramble the
letters in the boxes to reveal the answer to the clue at the bottom.

1. Earth’s ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ is broken into tectonic plates.

2. The active boundary between plates is a ___ ___ ___ ___ .

3. Rocks crack and shift when ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ from moving plates
becomes too great.

4. A ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ measures and records
earthquakes.

5. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ waves are the slowest and most damaging.

6. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ waves are detected first because they move so fast.

7. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ the point on the surface of the earth
directly above the focus

Clue: A kind of scale used to measure the amount of seismic energy released by an
earthquake.
Answer: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Congratulations—you have completed the activities! Get ready to take the final stage.

Let’s Assess
Directions: Read and understand each question carefully. Choose the letter of the best
answer and write your answer in the space before each number.

___1. What is an earthquake?

A. An upward thrust in the epicenter.
B. The up and down movement along the ocean floor.
C. A sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves
through Earth's rocks.
D. None of the above

___ 2. What type of seismic wave travels compressional, can travel through solids, liquids,
and gases?
A. Instant wave B. P wave C. S wave D. Surface wave

8
___ 3. Why do earthquakes generally occur at plate boundaries?
A. stress on rocks is low C. magnetic pull is greatest
B. most rock is found D. stress on rocks is greatest
.
___4. What instrument detects and measures an earthquakes?
A. Focus C. seismogram
B. focus seismic map D. seismograph

___ 5. Which area is characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes, it

is also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire?
A. English Canal C. Mid-Atlantic Ridge
B. Indian Ocean D. Circum-Pacific Belt

___ 6. What causes the up-and-down wiggles on the seismogram?

A. tsunami waves C. electromagnetic pulses
B. ground vibrations D. variations in air pressure

___ 7. Which of the following is NOT a cause of an earthquake?

A. Collapse of Cavern C. Lightning Strikes
B. Eruption of Volcano D. Moving Tectonic Plates

___ 8. What location does the first motion of an earthquake occur?

A. Epicenter B. focus C. mantle D. seismic gap
___ 9. Which of the following sequences correctly lists the different arrivals of seismic
waves from first to last?
A. P waves ... S waves .... Surface waves
B. Surface waves ... P waves .... S waves
C. P waves ... Surface waves ... S waves
D. S waves ... P waves .... Surface waves

___ 10. How many seismograph stations are needed to locate the epicenter of an
earthquake?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4

9
 Answer Key
Let’s Do More
1.C 2.C 3. D 4.B 5. D 6.C 7.A 8.C 9. A 10.B

Let’s Practice

1. A 2. C 3. B

1. CRUST 5. SURFACE
2. FAULT 6. PRIMARY
3. PRESSURE 7. EPICENTER
4. SEISMOGRAPH Answer: RICHTER

References
Websites
Australian National University. “Philippine Map “. Accessed August 9, 2021.
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/mapsonline/sites/default/files/styles/cartogis_700
x700/public/maps/bitmap/standard/2013/10/12-
231_Philippines_bw.png?itok=znf-xwXg.

Coolgeography. “Earthquake Features Block Diagram”. Accessed July 31, 2021.

https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/GCSE
/AQA/Restless%20Earth/Earthquakes/Earthquakes%20background.htm.
Lumen. “Measuring Earthquakes”. Accessed July 30, 2021.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physicalgeology/ chapter/11-3-measuring-
earthquakes/.
PHIVOLCS. “Introduction to Earthquake”. Accessed July 30, 2021.
https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph /index.php/earthquake/introduction-to-
earthquake).

Shake Out. “Fault Movements”. Accessed July 30, 2021.

https://www.shakeout.org/downloads/ShakeOut_ES3_FaultHandModels.pdf.

The Geographer Online. “Tectonic Plates and Their Distribution.” Accessed

July 27, 2021. https://www.thegeographeronline.net/plate-tectonics.html.

“The Math You Need, When You Need It”. Accessed July 30, 2021,
https://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/graphing/interpret.html).

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