Seismic Waves

and Earths
Interior
 Objectives

MELC: Explain how earthquake waves provide

information about the interior
of the earth.

Objectives:
✓ Define seismic waves.
✓ Explain how Earthquake waves are propagated
 Pre-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose
the letter of the correct answer.

1. Where do seismic waves originated?

a. ocean floor c. focus

b. epicenter. d. fault
line
 Pre-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose
the letter of the correct answer.

2. What is created during an earthquake that travels

from the focus to the interior and surface of the
earth?

a. Electromagnetic waves c.
ocean waves
b. Seismic waves d. radio
waves
 Pre-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose
the letter of the correct answer.

3. Which seismic waves travel on the surface of the

earth and can cause damage to people and
environment?

a. P-waves. c. Surface waves

b. S-waves. d. z-waves.
 Pre-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose the
letter of the correct answer.

4.How do seismic wave travels from the focus of an

earthquake?

a. In a straight line moving on the surface of the earth.

b. It radiates in a ripple like movement within the interior of
the earth.
c. It emanates spherically from the focus moving inside and
on the
surface of the earth.
d. Seismic waves only travel in the epicenter of the
earthquake
 Pre-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose the
letter of the correct answer.

5. What causes the change in the speed of seismic waves as

it travels through the earth?

a. Seismic waves are colliding

b. Waves are traveling to materials of different properties.
c. S waves overtake P waves
d. Waves are passing through materials of same density.
 Pre-Test
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose the
letter of the correct answer.

Answer Key:

1. C
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. B
Let’s start our lesson by revisiting
what you have learned about
earthquake from the previous
modules, and then, answer
the questions that follows
 Study the given
picture:
From the given
diagram answer the
following questions:

1. What does label A represents? ________________

2. What does label B represents? ________________
3. Intensity measures the strength of an earthquake
in terms of its effect on people, structures and
environment. Suppose in the diagram, two houses
are separated by 50 km. Will both houses
experience same intensity during an
earthquake? Why and why not?
Did you know that there is an average of
100 to 150
Earthquakes that is felt in the Philippines a
year, and oneof the strongest tremor
happened last October 15, 2013.Are you
curious of what happened that day?
Thenread the news article and answer the
questions that follow
https://youtu.be/1qyYYO3McbE.com
Answer the following:

1. What are the affected places based on the news?

______________________________________________________

2. According to the news, the epicenter of the Earthquake was in

the
Municipality of Carmen in Bohol but why is it that the tremor was
also felt in
Davao City, Masbate City and Iloilo City which are far from Bohol?
____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

3. How do earthquakes affect other places aside from the

epicenter?
____________________________________________________________
______________________________________
Guide Questions:

1. Where do seismic waves originate?

2. Seismic waves are classified into body waves and

surface waves, how are these waves different from each
other?
3. Based from your answers in Q1 & 2, how do
you define seismic waves?

4. Which seismic wave will cause most damage

on the earth’s ground? Body wave or surface
wave?
5. Based from the illustration, explain how
seismic wave propagates?
 Comparison of Seismic Waves
Body waves can be classified into P-waves (Primary) and S-waves (Secondary),
although both waves travel inside the earth they move in different motion and
speed.

The data below shows the arrival time of seismic wave in the seismic station which is
500 km away from the focus. Analyze the data to determine the difference in the
propagation of seismic waves
Guide Questions
1. Using the data above, which seismic wave will be detected by the
seismic
station first? ___________________________________ Which will be
detected last? _________________________________
Guide Questions
2. What do these wave arrival-time tell on the speed of
seismic waves?
_____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
 Guide Questions
3. Based from the previous modules you learned that the
Earthquake’s intensity varies from the distance of the epicenter to
the focus. Do you think the arrival time of seismic waves also
varies from the distance of the seismic station to the focus of the
Based from the activity you performed, you learned that
seismic waves begin on the focus of the earthquake then
propagated inside and on the surface of the earth. Hence,
seismic waves are categorized based from the location
where it propagates, the waves that travel in the earth’s
interior are called Body waves while the waves that travel
on the earth’s surface are Surface waves. Therefore,
Seismic waves can be defined as wave of energy
generated during an earthquake and propagated from the
focus to the different parts of the earth. Seismic wave
carries large amount of energy that can affect any materials
that it passed through. However, since Surface waves
moves across the earth’s surface it causes most damages
on people, structures and
natural environment.
You also learned from the activity that seismic waves can be
distinguished based from different properties including the
speed the wave travels. Between P waves and S waves
which are types of Body waves, P waves travel faster than S
waves, and are first detected by seismographs in different
seismic stations followed by S wave which travel slower
than P waves. Surface wave on the other hand, travel slower
than both P waves and the last waves to be detected in
different seismic stations
The S-P interval or the time difference between the arrival of
P and S wave on different seismic stations, help seismologist
locate the epicenter of the earthquake. However, as these
waves travel out from the focus, the P waves get
increasingly farther ahead of S wave which will record
higher time interval. Thus, the farther the seismic station is
from the earthquake epicenter the greater will be the
difference in the arrival time of P and S wave.
 Process Question
1. What are seismic waves? And how do these wave travel on
the earth?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. Differentiate Body wave and Surface wave.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________

3. Among the seismic waves, which wave travel fastest?

_____________________________________________
which wave travel slowest?
________________________________________

4. Explain how seismic waves propagate.

________________________________________________________
 Vocabulary List

Body waves – a seismic wave that travel inside or through the earth.
Earthquake – the shaking of the earth’s surface as a result of the
movement of faults.
Epicenter – the point in the earth’s surface that is directly above the focus.
Focus – the point underneath the earth where the rupture or fault started.
P-waves– is the fastest type of body wave that can travel through both the
solid rock and molten liquid layers of the earth. When it passes through a
medium the material move in a back and forth motion.
Seismic waves– a wave that is produced by the release of energy as the
earth ruptures.
Surface wave– a seismic wave that travel on the surface of the earth and
cause more damage.
S-waves– type of body waves that arrive after the P waves because it travel
more slowly. When it passes through a medium the materials move up and
down. S waves can only travel through solid rocks
 Post Test
Direction: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of
the correct answer.

1. Why scientists do uses seismic waves in studying the composition

of the interior of the Earth?

a. because seismic wave release materials from within the

earth.
b. because seismic change radioactive decay rate of rocks.
c. because seismic wave travel at different rates at different
materials.
d. Because seismic wave travel through the earth at a
constant velocity
 Post Test
Direction: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of
the correct answer.

2. Which is NOT true about seismic waves?

a. Seismic waves are generated during an earthquake.

b. Seismic waves travel only in an epicenter that is
highly populated.
c. P waves travel faster than both S waves and
surface waves.
d. Speeds of seismic waves changes at different
densities of materials
 Post Test
Direction: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of
the correct answer.

3. Body waves start spherically from the focus. How

does it travel through the earth?

a. Entirely within the interior of the earth.

b. Along the surface of the earth.
c. Within the earth’s bodies of water.
d. Body waves stay at the focus
 Post Test
Direction: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of
the correct answer.

4. How does the energy of an earthquake travel through the

earth?

a. Seismic waves carry the energy of an earthquake away

from the
focus, through the earth’s interior and across the surface.
b. Seismic waves carry the energy of an earthquake toward
from the
focus, through the earth’s interior and across the surface.
c. During an earthquake, seismic waves move toward the
focus and
 Post Test
Direction: Read each item carefully and choose the letter of
the correct answer.

5. What causes the change in the speed of seismic waves as it

travels through the earth?

a. Seismic waves are colliding

b. Waves are traveling to materials of different
properties.
c. S waves overtake P waves
d. Waves are passing through materials of same
density