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Earthquakes Living Lab: Finding Epicenters and Measuring Magnitudes Activity—Worksheet Example Answers 1
Finding Epicenters and Measuring Magnitudes Worksheet
Objective: To use seismic data and an interactive simulation to triangulate the location and measure the
magnitude of an earthquake.
Materials: Work in pairs sharing one computer with Internet access.
Engage:
1. You may have heard news coverage saying something like “the earthquake was a 6.3 on the Richter
scale” or “the epicenter was located just outside the city.” Describe in your journal what you think
these statements mean. Student answers will vary.
Explore: Navigate to the Earthquakes Living Lab at
http://www.teachengineering.org/livinglabs/earthquakes/..
2. The Earthquakes Living Lab has four main components to it, each based on one of four historic
earthquakes. For this activity, select the “Mexico” box.
3. Take a few minutes to read the information on the left side of this page for
the 1978 earthquake at La Paz of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Then locate
and click the link in the center of the page under the question: “How is an
earthquake epicenter located and how is magnitude determined?”
4. This opens a new window to California State University’s Virtual Earthquake simulation from
Geology Labs On-Line at http://www.sciencecourseware.com/virtualearthquake/VQuakeExecute.html.
Read the first page and then answer the following questions:
a. What is an earthquake?
An earthquake is a sudden release of stored energy that built up over time as a result of tectonic
forces within the Earth. When one side of a fault moves rapidly relative to the other side of the
fault, the sudden motion causes shock or seismic waves that travel through the Earth and produce
ground motion.
b. What is a seismic wave?
A seismic wave, also known as a shock wave, is the transferring of energy from one spot to
another within the Earth.
c. What is the difference between S waves and P waves?
P (primary) waves, which are similar to sound waves, come first. The S (secondary) waves,
which are a type of shear wave, come second. Within the Earth, P waves can travel through solids
and liquids, whereas S waves can only travel through solids.
5. At the bottom of the page, select the Mexico (number 4) location and
“submit choices” to continue the simulation.
6. Follow the simulation instructions. As you read and complete the
activity, take notes so you can complete the Explain questions next.
Example Answers
