Determining the Earthquake Epicenter
Earthquake Activity: San Francisco Area
Complete the activity on this website. Then enter your responses directly in this document and submit it for grading.
Determining the Earthquake Epicenter
Below is a map of the region for the simulated earthquake.
Measuring the S-P interval
Use the three seismograms to estimate the S-P time interval for each of the recording stations. Record your measurement for the S-P interval below:
| Eureka, CA Seismic Station S-P Interval | seconds | |
| Elko, NV Seismic Station S-P Interval | seconds | |
| Las Vegas, NV Seismic Station S-P Interval | seconds |
Determining Distance from S-P
Using the S-P graph and the estimates you made for the S-P time intervals for the three seismograms, complete the table below. The horizontal grid is in one second intervals.
| Station | S-P Interval | Epicentral Distance | ||
| Eureka, CA | seconds | KM | ||
| Elko, NV | seconds | KM | ||
| Las Vegas, NV | seconds | KM |
Compute Your % Error
For each of the stations, compute your % error for the S-P Interval and Epicentral Distance. The formula for % Error is:
| Your Data | Actual Data | % Error | ||||
| Recording Station | S-P Interval | Epicentral Distance | S-P Interval | Epicentral Distance | S-P Interval | Epicentral Distance |
| Eureka, CA | sec | km | sec | km | ||
| Elko, NV | sec | km | sec | km | ||
| Las Vegas, NV | sec | km | sec | km |
Richter Magnitude
Measure the maximum amplitude of the S-wave for each seismogram and record your estimate in the box below the seismogram. Note that although only one amplitude measurement is necessary, you should measure the amplitude for each of the three stations. This will enable you to determine the magnitude value as an average of three values, thus increasing the likelihood that you are accurate in your estimate.
| Eureka, CA Maximum S Wave Amplitude | |
| Elko, NV Maximum S Wave Amplitude | |
| Las Vegas, NV Maximum S Wave Amplitude |
| Estimated Magnitude | Actual Magnitude |
Earthquake Activity:
San Francisco
Area
Complete the activity on
this website
. Then enter your responses directly in this document and submit
it
for grading.
Determining
t
he Earthquake Epicenter
Below is a map of the region for the simulated earthquake.
Measuring the S
–
P interval
Use the three seismograms to estimate the S
–
P time interval for each of the recording stations. Record
your measurement for
the S
–
P interval below:
Eureka, CA Seismic Station S
–
P Interval
seconds
Elko, NV Seismic Station S
–
P Interval
seconds
Las Vegas, NV Seismic Station S
–
P Interval
seconds
Earthquake Activity: San Francisco Area
Complete the activity on this website. Then enter your responses directly in this document and submit it
for grading.
Determining the Earthquake Epicenter
Below is a map of the region for the simulated earthquake.
Measuring the S-P interval
Use the three seismograms to estimate the S-P time interval for each of the recording stations. Record
your measurement for the S-P interval below:
Eureka, CA Seismic Station S-P Interval seconds
Elko, NV Seismic Station S-P Interval seconds
Las Vegas, NV Seismic Station S-P Interval seconds
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