GIZMOS Student Exploration: Earthquakes 1 – Recording Station

Name: Runtong.L Date: 2019.10.20


Student Exploration: Earthquakes 1 – Recording Station

Vocabulary: body wave, earthquake, epicenter, fault, focus, P-wave, S-wave,
seismic wave, seismogram, seismograph


Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) (2 marks)

1. Have you ever experienced an earthquake?




shared via
If so, what did it feel like?




This study resource
My mom did. Firstly she felt Inaudible sound around the entire
building, Entire building once.



CourseHero.com
2. Earthquakes are usually caused by the sudden
movement of rocks along a fault, or fracture, in


was Earth’s crust. The most famous fault in the U.S. is the
San Andreas Fault in California.

What major cities are located near the San Andreas

Fault? San Francisco and San Bernardino.



Gizmo Warm-up
The Earthquakes 1 – Recording Station Gizmo simulates the
seismic waves released by an earthquake. To begin, look
at the key on the bottom left side of the Gizmo.

1. The epicenter of the earthquake is the point on
Earth’s surface closest to the focus, or origin, of
the earthquake.
(2 marks)
A. What symbol represents the epicenter?

B. What symbol represents the recording station?


2. Click Play ( ) and observe the seismic waves leaving the epicenter of the earthquake.
(2 marks)
A. What types of seismic waves are
released? P-wave and S-wave.
B. Look at the Recording station detector on the upper left side of the
Gizmo. What happens when the seismic waves hit the recording
station?
A small amplitude wave was recorded when the purple wave passed,
and a large wave was recorded when the green wave passed.
This study source was downloaded by 100000823518935 from CourseHero.com on 07-30-2021 15:12:59 GM2T0-
1095:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/52604805/GeologicalProcessesActivity3Earthquakes-%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%ACpdf/

, Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
 Click Reset ( ).
Reading a
 Check that the Distance from the station to
seismogram
the center of earthquake is 860 km.

Introduction: An earthquake releases an enormous amount of energy, which
passes through Earth’s interior in the form of body waves. There are two types of
body waves: P-waves (primary waves) and S-waves (secondary waves).

Scientists study earthquakes with the aid of an instrument called a seismograph.
When seismic waves reach the seismograph, a graphical record, or seismogram, is
produced.




shared via
Question: How are P- and S-waves shown on a seismogram?

1. Observe: Click Play, and then click Pause ( ) after the purple P-wave hits the station.
(2 marks)



CourseHero.com
This study resource
A. Look at the upper right corner of the seismogram. At what time did the P-wave
hit?

At around the 154s.



was
B. What is shown on the seismogram at this time?

The purple wave hit the station.

2. Observe: Click Play, and then click Pause after the green S-wave hits the station. (2
marks)

A. At what time did the S-wave
hit? At around the 250s.
B. What is shown on the seismogram at this time?
The green wave hit the station.

3. Describe: Click Play and wait for the vibrations to stop. Suppose you were at
the recording station when the earthquake hit. Based on the pattern of waves
on the seismogram, what did you experience during the earthquake? (1 mark)

I experienced a slight vibration (from P-wave) about 154 seconds after the
earthquake, and after about 96 seconds I experienced relatively severe
fluctuations (from S-wave), and relatively severe fluctuations continued two
hundred seconds or so, then the vibration gradually returned to calm.



4. Explore: Click Reset, and drag the recording station closer to the epicenter. Click Play.

A. How does this seismogram differ from the one you first investigated? (1 mark)
Both kinds of fluctuations come faster and more intense.

This study source was downloaded by 100000823518935 from CourseHero.com on 07-30-2021 15:12:59 GM2T0-
1095:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/52604805/GeologicalProcessesActivity3Earthquakes-%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%ACpdf/