Earthquake location
In this activity, students are introduced to some of the methods scientists use to record earthquakes. They obtain data from tables and graphs, carry out simple calculations and draw results on a map.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
use seismograms from three recording stations to locate the epicentre of an earthquake
measure the difference in arrival time of P-waves and S-waves, and read the distance from epicentre from a graph
plot the epicentre location on a map
investigate the area affected by the earthquake
write a report that includes a prediction of possible damage, based on type of landscape, human and environmental features.
Seismic waves
When an earthquake occurs shockwaves of energy, called seismic waves, are released from the earthquake focus. They shake the Earth and temporarily turn soft deposits, such as clay, into jelly (liquefaction).
Download the Word file (see below) for:
introduction/background
what you need
what to do
student instructions
seismograms from three North Island recording stations
graph for calculating distance from epicentre
outline map of North Island.
Related activity
Follow this activity with Earthquake intensity, where students allocate a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) number to some historic New Zealand earthquakes and number to the area near the epicentre that they have just plotted.
Useful links
For records of recent and historic earthquakes go to the GeoNet website.
Acknowledgement
This activity was developed for the Earthquake Commission (EQC), now known as the Natural Hazards Commission, and has been kindly provided for use on the Science Learning Hub.
Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake
Find out more about the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake at www.naturalhazards.govt.nz.
