Name of the Student__________________________________________________

Learning Area/Grade Level: ___________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________

I. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT
You have learned from the past learner’s packet how fault is formed and how
movements along fault generate earthquakes. Reports about earthquake usually
mentioned its epicenter and focus. But what are these two? Using your fault model
created in the previous learner’s packet, you will locate where epicenter and focus
can be found to help you differentiate them.

II. LEARNING SKILLS FROM THE MELC

MELC: Differentiate the epicenter of an earthquake from its focus using model.
(S8ES - IIa-15)
Objective:

1. Locate the epicenter and focus of an earthquake using model.

2. Differentiate the epicenter of an earthquake from its focus using model.

III. ACTIVITIES
A. Elicit
Before you start, revisit how fault is generated and how
movements along fault generate earthquakes by performing the activity.

Press ‘n’ slide

Material:
-tissue paper/newspaper or any soft paper
Procedure:
1. Get a piece of tissue paper/newspaper or any soft
paper.
2. Lay it flat on the tabletop or any flat surface

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 3. Lay your hands on the paper, palms down, with hands
touching each other.

4. Press with both hands and then push the right hand
forward and pull the left hand back toward you.

Answer the following questions:

1. What happens to the tissue paper/newspaper or any soft paper?
_________________________________________________________

2. Which is the “fault” in this setup?

_________________________________________________________

3. How is fault formed?

_________________________________________________________

4. How movements along fault formed earthquakes?

_________________________________________________________

A fault is formed in the Earth's crust as a stiff reaction to stress (push-

and-pull action). The stress may cause the rocks to twist or tear apart. The
surface where the rocks break or tear apart is called fault.
You need these concepts about fault for you to better understand our
lesson for this learning packet.

B. Engage

To have an idea about the epicenter and focus of an earthquake

kindly read the news article about an earthquake that hits Northern
Philippines and answer the questions that follow.

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 Excerpt - Retrieved from www.unocha.org.
Questions:

1. Based on the situation report:

a. where is the epicenter of the earthquake?

__________________________
b. what is the depth of the earthquake?
______________________________

2. Where do you think is the origin of the earthquake in relation to the epicenter?
______________________________________________________________

You will learn about the focus and epicenter of an earthquake as

you go on the succeeding activities.

C. Explore

In this activity you are going to differentiate focus and epicenter.

Please be guided with the material and the procedure carefully.

Activity: Where does an earthquake start?

Materials Needed:

-fault model
-ruler
-coloring pen/crayon (preferably red)
Procedure:

1. Using the fault model (figure 1a) you’ve made in the previous module, draw a
1-cm broken straight line as shown in Figure 1b.

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RO_Science_Grade 8_Q2_LP 3
 Figure 1a

Figure 1b.

2. Draw a dot using your coloring pen at the end of the broken straight line and
label it as “focus” as shown in figure below.

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 Figure 2

3. Draw a straight line from the focus to the upper surface of the model.

Figure 3
4. Mark with a dot the place where you expect the line to come out and label it
as “epicenter”.

Q1. Where can you find the focus of an earthquake?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Q2. Where is the epicenter of an earthquake located?

______________________________________________________________

Q3. What is the difference between earthquake’s epicenter and focus?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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.

Good job! You have finished an activity.

D. Explain

Take time to understand the following ideas or concepts for you to

confirm the results of the activity you have performed.

Faulting is the most common

cause of earthquake in which energy is
released as the rocks break and move.
The rocks continue to move until the
energy is used up. Figure 2 shows the
point of origin along the fault plane
wherein a tremble rupture starts to occur,
known as focus. It is usually located at
depths of about 670 km below the
surface, while epicenter is the point at
the surface directly above the focus.

Figure 2. The epicenter of an

earthquake is directly above its focus.

In your activity, the focus can be found beneath the Earth’s surface, as
represented by a dot. It is the place where the first break happens, where the fault
starts to slip, where first movement takes place. Hence, it is the starting point of an
earthquake, while the epicenter in your activity is located directly above the focus.

The closer the focus of an earthquake to the surface, the greater its damage.
While an earthquake is normally utmost severe at its epicenter, a strong one may
cause damage several hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter. The earthquake’s
location is a significant indicator of the damage it may cause.

Now that you have understood the difference between the earthquake
epicenter from its focus, apply what you’ve learned in the next task.

E. Elaborate/Extend
Read each paragraph about earthquakes that occurred in the Philippines, then
write the information needed to complete the table below.

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 2019 Batanes Earthquake
The main shock of the 2019 Batanes earthquake was the 5.9 magnitude
earthquake which had a depth of focus of 43 kilometers (27 mi). The earthquake
occurred at 7:38 a.m. (UTC+8) on July 27, 2019 and the epicenter was
near Itbayat, Batanes.
Source:Wikipedia Article

23 April 2019 Magnitude 6.5 Eastern Samar Earthquake

At 1:37 PM on 23 April 2019, Tuesday, a strong earthquake of Magnitude 6.5
shook the island of Samar and vicinity. The epicenter is located 9 kilometers
northwest of San Julian, Eastern Samar at a depth of 65 kilometers. Small-magnitude
earthquakes followed afterwards. As of 6:00 PM of 23 April 2019, 37 aftershocks have
been recorded by the PHIVOLCS-DOST seismic monitoring network.
Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/primer

10 February 2017 magnitude 6.7 Surigao del Norte earthquake

On 10 February 2017 at 10:03 PM Philippine Standard Time (PST), a
magnitude (M5) 6.7 earthquake struck the Province of Surigao del Norte in
northeastern Mindanao. Using the data from the Philippine Seismic Network (PSN) of
the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology - Department of Science and
Technology (PHIVOLCS-DOST), the epicenter was located in Surigao Strait at 9.80° N
and 125.35° E or 16 km offshore northwest of Surigao City at a shallow depth of 10
km.
Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines

Table 1. Earthquake Information

Date Time Epicenter Focus Magnitude

Great job! You have completed your task. If you need some
clarifications, feel free to ask your teacher.

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 F. Evaluate

Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. An earthquake’s point of origin is known as _____________, while the location at

the land surface above it is called ______________.
A. epicenter, focus C. focus, epicenter
B. fault, hypocenter D. hypocenter, fault
2. Which of the following statements correctly differentiates the epicenter of an
earthquake from its focus?
A. The focus of an earthquake is the point in the ground located directly above
the epicenter.
B. The focus of an earthquake is where the ground shaking is felt at its maximum
while epicenter is the area where earthquake starts.
C. The focus of an earthquake is located on the surface of the Earth, while the
epicenter is beneath the crust and located right below the epicenter.
D. The focus of an earthquake is the area where the released energy comes
from, while the epicenter is the area which is the direct receiver of the energy
released.

3. Which of the following statement correctly identifies the focus and epicenter of an
earthquake in the given illustration?

A. Point A is the focus and Point B is the epicenter.

B. Point A is the epicenter and Point C is the focus
C. Point A is the epicenter and Point B is the focus.
D. Point A is the focus and Point C is the epicenter.
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the focus and epicenter of an
earthquake?
A. The focus is the point where fault “slip” is initiated while epicenter is the point
on the fault directly beneath the focus.
B. The focus is the point where fault “slip” is initiated while epicenter is the point
on the surface directly above the focus.
C. The focus is the point on the surface directly below the epicenter while
epicenter is the point where fault “slip” is initiated.
D. The focus is the point on the surface directly above the epicenter while
epicenter is the point where fault “slip” is initiated.

5. Which of the following is the correct location of earthquake epicenter and focus?

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 EPICENTER
A. origin of the earthquake
B. point on the Earth's surface
located directly above the focus
C. point within Earth where a
tremble rupture starts
D. point where the rocks break
FOCUS
point where the first movement occurs
place where the fault begins to slip
point where the edges of the plates give
way resulting in sudden movement which
causes earthquake
lies over the center of the quake

IV. ANSWER KEY

A. Elicit
Possible answers.
1. The tissue will tear similar to a fault.
2. The fault is the boundary between cuts/tears on a paper towel.
3. Faults is caused by stresses.
4. Earthquakes are caused when faults slip abruptly. The energy from the inside
of the Earth makes the ground move, once resistance is overcome, a fault
slips producing earthquakes.

B. Engage
Expected answers.
1. A. The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Castillejos, Zambales.
B. The depth was 10km.
2. The origin of the earthquake is 10 km directly below the epicenter.

C. Explore
Activity #1 Where does an earthquake start?
Expected answers.
1. The focus can be found beneath the Earth’s surface. It is the place where the
first break happens, where the fault starts to slip, where first movement takes
place. It is the starting point of the earthquake.
2. The epicenter is on the surface of the Earth directly above the focus.
3. The epicenter is the point on the surface of the earth directly above the focus
while focus is the location where the earthquake begins

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 E. Elaborate/Extend
Table 1. 2019 Earthquake information
Date Time Epicenter Focus Magnitude

July 27, 7:38 Near Itbayat, Batanes 43 kilometers 5.9

2019 a.m. (27 mi)
April 23, 1:37 PM 9 kilometers northwest 65 kilometers 6.5
2019 of San Julian, Eastern
Samar
February 10:03 Surigao Strait 10 kilometers 6.7
10, 2017 PM

F. Evaluate
1. C
2. D
3. C
4. B
5. B
VI. REFLECTION

I have learned that

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

I wish to ask my teacher about

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

VII. REFERENCES
Religioso, Terisita, Lilia Vengco, and Delia Navaza. 2017. You and the Natural World
the New Grade 8. Second Edition. Phoenix Publishing House.
Nicky Arellano Follow. n.d. “Steps to Locating the Epicenter of an Earthquake.”
Instructables. Accessed August 15, 2021. https://www.instructables.com/The-
Steps-to-Locating-the-Epicenter-of-an
Earthqua/?fbclid=IwAR0sOB0IvmyEO5yjW4urbqYD3KyqbOmL7zY2IVm7PmKXS
INB607qdRCqFX0

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RO_Science_Grade 8_Q2_LP 3
Mangosing, Frances. 2019. “Batanes Quake Damage Estimated at P47 Million.”
INQUIRER.net. Accessed July 29, 2019.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1147456/batanes-quake-damage-estimated-at-
p47million?fbclid=IwAR2Os7ocAhjexboAc5hLPAAaX7vxG6hoxUvHebivis84pzee
dh5kITIbiUc
“Philippines: Cotabato, Mindanao Earthquakes - Information Bulletin - Philippines.” n.d.
ReliefWeb. Accessed August 15, 2021.
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-cotabato-mindanao-
earthquakes-information-bulletin?fbclid=IwAR0FAx5LTHxorOlsPEJxl6X1W-
IUPhVpkhtD0HfF9Ywxizl3DtAfi_GIQQM.
FilipiKnow. 2019. “5 of the Deadliest Earthquakes in Philippine History.” FilipiKnow.
Accessed April 22, 2019. https://filipiknow.net/earthquake-in-the-
philippines/?fbclid=IwAR2DU8vRsMW7nXzFUTRqsirlPhr2D_jMJdZtFHDrIuJxJgA
AbCZuUCDb7YQ.
“Primer on the 23 April 2019 Magnitude 6.5 Eastern Samar Earthquake - Philippines.”
n.d. ReliefWeb. Accessed August 15, 2021.
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/primer-23-april-2019-magnitude-65-eastern-
samar-earthquake?fbclid=IwAR2b71_02JsTeH7YyvgETS-7Gwc0ZwUJ-
oD7xMemZQLL6tTKmdCm2Qf5peE.
“Philippines: 10 February 2017 Magnitude 6.7 Surigao Del Norte Earthquake -
Philippines.” n.d. Relief Web. Accessed August 15, 2021.
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-10-february-2017-magnitude-67-
surigao-del-norte-earthquake?fbclid=IwAR0e-
4c9iwsA9DWCjtpYljtNRCHgvEwSIkVjLK6_0jPT_weK0kkpTVN84gw.

SMILE LEARNER’S PACKET DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Writer: MARICRIS F. BARAQUIEL

Reviewers: ROWENA C. DE LEON

ERICK F. GAYANES
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Layout Artists: ERNESTO B. GILE JR.

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