Question

A seismic station in Massena, New York, recorded the arrival of the first P wave at 1:30:00 and the first S-wave from the same earthquake at 1:34:30.
a) determine the distance, in kilometers, from Massena to the epicenter of this earthquake. __________ km

b) State what additional information is needed to determine the location of the epicenter of this earthquake. ______________

Answer 1

A.) A quick way to determine the distance from a location to the origin of a seismic wave less than 200 km away is to take the difference in arrival time of the P wave and the S wave in seconds and multiply by 8 kilometers per second.

B.) Scientists use triangulation to find the epicenter of an earthquake. When seismic data is collected from at least three different locations, it can be used to determine the epicenter by where it intersects. Every earthquake is recorded on numerous seismographs located in different directions.Apr 15, 2016