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This page shows questions in the Earthquake Energy public release module at MSDE. Life Science MISA
"Earthquake Energy"

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Earthquake Waves

Many students in Maryland felt an earthquake that occurred 1.2 kilometers (km) underground in Virginia. They wondered about the effects of this and other earthquakes around the world.

The students researched earthquake effects. They learned that tension and stress along Earth's crustal plates deep underground sometimes releases suddenly, causing several types of waves to travel through the Earth.

  • P-waves travel through both solids and liquids with the greatest speeds.
  • S-waves travel only through solids at medium speeds.
  • Surface (Love and Rayleigh) waves travel only across the surface of the crust and are the slowest waves.

The students learned that scientists observe earthquakes from seismograph stations located around the world. A seismograph is a tool used to measure seismic waves. The formula for the relationship between velocity mathematics expression or equation frequency mathematics expression or equation and wavelength mathematics expression or equation ismathematics expression or equation

This formula allows scientists to calculate distances to the epicenter (point of origin) of the earthquake through various crust materials. The students found this table that shows the typical velocity of P-waves traveling through different crust materials.

There is a table titled Typical P-wave Velocities. The table has three columns and six rows. The first column heading is Crust Material. The second column heading is Approximate Density in kilograms per cubic meter . The third column heading is Approximate Velocity in meters per second. The second row is Water, one thousand, one thousand five hundred. The third row is Loose sand, one thousand one hundred, one thousand five hundred. The fourth row is Dense soil, two-thousand one-hundred, two-thousand five hundred. The fifth row is Soft rock, two-thousand six hundred, four thousand two hundred. The sixth row is Hard rock, three thousand three hundred, eight thousand five hundred.

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Locating Earthquakes

The students researched how scientists use wave data to locate earthquake epicenters (points of origin). The students learned that the arrival time of the P-waves and S-waves allows scientists to calculate the time of the earthquake and its distance from the seismograph.

The students found data from three seismograph stations for a 1994 earthquake in California that occurred 4.2 km underground. The students organized the data in this table.

There is a table titled P-wave and S-wave Arrival Times in California. There are four columns and four rows. The first column heading is Station. The second column heading is Distance from Earthquake in kilometers. The third column heading is P-wave Arrival in seconds. The fourth column heading is S-wave arrival in seconds. The second row is one, seven point eight, fifty two, fifty three point five. The third row is two, eighty six point zero, sixty six, seventy nine point zero. The fourth row is three, one hundred seventy point zero, seventy seven, ninety-eight point zero.

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Effects on Ocean and Land

The students did further research on the effects of earthquakes on other Earth systems. They found that waves created by earthquakes on the ocean floor travel through the ocean floor crust and the ocean water. The waves traveling through the water can cause a seismic sea wave, or tsunami. These powerful waves greatly increase in height as they come ashore. This diagram shows how an earthquake deep under the ocean may cause a tsunami that impacts land.

This is a diagram titled Tsunami Caused by Earthquake. The top of the diagram reads Tsunamis travel more slowly through water than earthquake waves travel through solid crust materials. There is an arrow labeled tsunami waves pointing out from the earthquake to the right in the water. On the right side of the diagram, land is labeled. The diagram shows a deep ocean earthquake under the water. There is an arrow labeled Earthquake Waves pointing out from the earthquake to the right in the solid crust material. The bottom of the diagram reads P and S waves in the crust allow forecasting of when a tsunami may arrive.

The students found this diagram that shows the water level, coastal erosion, and deposition on the coast of Sri Lanka from a 2004 tsunami caused by an undersea earthquake near Indonesia, 3500 kilometers away.

There is a diagram titled Coastline Diagram. The diagram is labeled, from left to right, Sea level, Tsunami height, Tsunami water level, Shoreline, Distance from the shoreline, Zone of erosion, Zone of deposition. The diagram shows a cross-section of land, sea-level, and the height of a tsunami. Sea level is labeled on the left of the diagram. Where the sea level meets the land is labeled Shoreline. The tsunami height rises above the sea level and the shoreline. The distance the tsunami height goes inland to the right is labeled Distance from the Shoreline. The far right of the diagram is labeled Zone of Deposition. To the left of that is labeled Zone of erosion.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

What is the approximate frequency of a P-wave traveling at average velocity through soft rock with a wavelength of 2 m?

  1. A.
    2,100 waves per second
  2. B.
    2,600 waves per second
  3. C.
    6,800 waves per second
  4. D.
    8,400 waves per second

This is a question with 3 parts, including a question with drop-down menus from which you must select an option to fill in the blank.

Part A

Match each cause to an effect. Not all effects will be used.

A matching interaction is shown, with the sources titled, Cause, and the targets titled, Effect. There are two causes: Media density increases, and Wave v decreases. There are four effects: f increases, lambda increases, f decreases, and lambda decreases.

Part B

Select the terms that best explain the causes and effects.

Because  
  is constant for a P-wave,  
  changes in direct proportion to  
 

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Based on the P-wave and S-wave arrival times for the 1994 California earthquake, which station had the most dense crust material located between it and the earthquake epicenter, and what effect did this have on the wavelength recorded at this station compared to the waves recorded at the other two stations?

  1. A.
    Station 1; the wavelength was shortest
  2. B.
    Station 1; the wavelength was longest
  3. C.
    Station 2; the wavelength was shortest
  4. D.
    Station 3; the wavelength was longest

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

Using the information provided, describe the sequence of destabilizing effects caused by an undersea earthquake that produces resulting changes to Earth's crust. Include data to support your reasoning.