Department of Education

Science 10
Earth and Space
Quarter 1
The Earthquake Epicenter
Module 2

Abigail M. de Lios
Writer

Armida S. Oblinada
Ma. Regaele A. Olarte
Validators

Schools Division Office – Muntinlupa City

Student Center for Life Skills Bldg., Centennial Ave., Brgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa City
(02) 8805-9935 / (02) 8805-9940
 This module was designed to help you master the topic about the earthquake epicenter.
The activities specifically designed for self-directed learning. The language was simplified for
ease of understanding. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course.
But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are
now using.
After going through this module, you are expected to:
Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake epicenters, and
major mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory (S10ES – Ia-j-36.1)
Specifically, you will be able to:
1. recall the characteristics of seismic waves in terms of speed.
2. explain triangulation method in locating epicenter of earthquake
3. locate the earthquake epicenter using the triangulation method

Directions: Encircle the letter of the best answer.

1. The area directly above the focus
A. Epicenter B. Fault C. Fold D. Hypocenter

2. It is also known as the shear waves

A. Compressional wave C. Primary wave
B. Longitudinal wave D. Transverse wave

3. The most common cause of tectonic earthquake

A. Astatic strain C. Static strain
B. Elastic strain D. All of the Above

4. It is the area where there is direct movement

A. Epicenter B. Focus C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B

5. The number of unmanned seismic stations in the Philippines

A. 6 B. 29 C. 30 D. 65

6. It is the fastest type of body wave

A. Love wave B. P-wave C. Rayleigh wave D. S-Wave

7. The method used in locating the epicenter of an earthquake

A. Binary method C. Research method
B. Calculating method D. Triangulation method

8. The Philippine agency that monitors the earthquake activity

A. DENR B. DepED C. NASA D. PHIVOLCS

9. The most destructive type of seismic wave

A. Love wave B. P-wave C. Rayleigh wave D. S-wave

10. P-wave is also known for several names EXCEPT

A. Compressional wave C. Primary wave
B. Longitudinal wave D. Shear wave

1
 Module
2
The Earthquake Epicenter
When the Earth’s lithospheric plates start to move, it releases a tremendous amount of
energy in the form of seismic waves that causes movement on the Earth’s crust called
earthquake.

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to recall the characteristics of seismic waves in
terms of speed explain triangulation method in locating epicenter of earthquake and locate the
earthquake epicenter using the triangulation method.

This lesson will begin by understanding the characteristic of the seismic waves and
understand how earthquake epicenters are located.

A. Word Hunt
Directions: Look for the following words inside the box. Encircle your answer.
Earthquake Lithosphere Epicenter P wave Seismic Waves
Triangulation S wave Fault Focus Tectonic Plates

Note: This word puzzle was created through book widgets.

B. Directions: Identify the following terms being described.

1. ________________ is the solid, rocky outer surface of the Earth, consists of the crust
and the elastic part of upper mantle
2. ________________ refers to the energy released in an earthquake
3. ________________method used to determine the epicenter of an earthquake.
4. ________________ refers to the area directly above the focus
5. ________________ is also known as the secondary wave and arrives after the primary
wave 2
A. Earthquake News.
Directions: Read the news article below and answer the questions that follow.

Earthquake Hits Southern Philippine Island of Mindanao

29 Oct 2019

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday,

just over a week since a strong tremor jolted the same area and left seven people
dead.

The quake's epicentre was located inland northeast of Tulunan town in Cotabato
province, 972km (604 miles) south of Manila, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology
and Seismology said. Seismology experts said there were no threats of a tsunami.
There are at eats six people killed in Davao City.

A Manila-based radio station also reported that several children in Tulunan were
injured when their school collapsed. The quake was initially reported as magnitude
6.8 but was later downgraded to 6.6.

The quake struck at 9:04am (0104 GMT), rattling buildings and forcing people to
rush out of offices, schools and hospitals in the affected areas, according to initial
information from the institute and videos shared on social media.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/strong-earthquake-hits-southern-philippine-island-
mindanao-191029023153907.html

Guide Questions:
1. What was the news about?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. How strong was the earthquake? Where did it originate?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the effects of the Earthquake in the area?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

B. Give Me a “P”! Give Me an “S”!

Directions: Write P if the given characteristics describe the P wave and write S if the given
characteristics describe an S wave.
______1. The slower wave
______2. It can pass through solids only
______3. It arrives first at the seismic stations
______4. It is also known as compressional waves
______5. It can travel through solid, liquid and gas
3
 C. FACTS ONLY PLEASE!

Did you know that …

The Philippines has a total of 65 seismic stations, 29 of
which are manned, 30 are unmanned, and 6 volcano stations. The
central operating station is located at PHIVOLCS Main Office,
Diliman, Quezon City. All information is received at the Data
Receiving Center (DRC), which is operated 24/7 by the
Seismological Observation and Prediction Division (SOEPD)

https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/2-uncategorised/29-phivolcs-seismic-monitoring-network

The Earthquake

An earthquake refers to the sudden movement of the Earth’s crust as it adjusts to the
sudden released of energy from the source. The source usually is located in the area where the
rock moves is called the focus (also known as the hypocenter). The area directly above the
focus is referred to as the epicenter.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Epicenter_Diagram.svg
Fig. 1 The Epicenter
During news reports about an Earthquake occurrence, it often includes the location of
the earthquake’s epicenter. This is determined by a country’s seismic stations. In the
Philippines, there are 65 seismic stations that constantly monitor the earthquake occurrence.
These stations are under the monitoring and supervision of the Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS.)

Tectonic earthquake results when rocks underneath the Earth’s surface move and
suddenly releases energy in the form of seismic waves. This is most often released by elastic
strain.

Elastic strain, when stored, produces a large amount of energy that could be damaging.
This is the reason why an earthquake poses danger to life and damage to properties. It cannot
be predicted. Its strength depends on how near or far a person is from its epicenter.

4
The Seismic Waves

The energy released in an earthquake is in the form of seismic waves. Seismic waves are
elastic waves that are created after the rocks move in the focus. The magnitude of an
earthquake depends on the energy contained by each wave.

There are two major types of Seismic Waves: The Surface waves and the body
waves. Surface waves are often felt on the Earth’s crust and is often produces damage on the
Earth’s surface. There are two types: the Rayleigh wave and the Love wave.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rayleigh_wave.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Love_wave.jpg
Fig. 2 Surface Waves
The Rayleigh wave moves in an up and down direction just like a rolling motion while
the Love wave moves in a side to side direction, like the movement of a snake. This movement
of the love made, makes it more destructive. These waves only travel on the surface of the crust.
They comprise the shaking people feel during the earthquake.

The body waves travel inside the Earth’s interior. It has two types: the compressional,
longitudinal wave called the primary wave (P wave) and the shear, transverse wave called the
secondary wave (S wave). These waves travel inside the Earth’s interior at a different speed.

The P-wave (primary, compressional, longitudinal wave) travels in solid, liquid and gas.
It is the faster and the first to be detected in the seismic station. As seismic wave, its particles
move in alternating compression (push) and dilation (pull) similar to the direction of the
propagation of the wave. It is smaller but with higher frequency compared with the S-wave. The
S-wave (Secondary, shear, transverse wave) travels in solid only. It is slower than the P-wave.
Its particles move in alternating transverse motion perpendicular to the direction of the
propagation of the wave. It arrives in the seismic station after the P-wave.

https://www.burkemuseum.org/static/earthquakes/cur-seismic.html
Fig. 3 Body Wave

5
Triangulation Method

When looking for the epicenter of an earthquake, scientists utilized the triangulation
method.

The following are the steps in performing the triangulation method. There should be
three seismic stations.

1. Determine the time difference in the arrival between the first P wave and the first S wave.
Subtract the time of the P-wave from the time of the S-wave.
Example:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/S-P-interval-seismogram-distance-to-
earthquake.jpg
Fig. 4 Sample 1 seismograph readings
The figure shows two seismograph readings; Seismograph A shows that the interval
between the arrival time of the P-wave and S-wave is 0.95 seconds. This means that when the
P-waves were detected by seismograph A, it took 0.95 seconds before the S-wave arrives. Same
goes with the reading from seismograph B, with the S-P interval of 0.54 seconds. Figure 5
shows the labelled part of the seismograph reading.

http://scienceovereverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Earthquake-Triangulation-Lab.pdf
Fig. 5 Sample 2 seismograph readings

2. Compute for the distance of the epicenter from the seismic station by using the formula:

Where: d= distance
td= time difference
8 seconds= time interval between the
arrival of P-wave and S-wave per 100 km
6
 3. Measure the computed distance using a given map scale.
4. Using a compass, draw a circle from the station and somewhere along the radius of the
circle is the epicenter.
5. Repeat the steps in the other two seismic stations. The point where the three circles
intersect is the location of the earthquake. It will take three seismic station to complete
the triangulation method.

Activity 1 Find the Epicenter

(Adopted from the Department of Education, Science 10 Learner’s Material pp. 8-10)
Materials Needed:
• Hypothetical records of earthquake waves
• Philippine map
• drawing compass and ruler
Procedure:
1. Study the data showing the difference in the arrival time of P-wave and S-wave on three
seismic recording stations.
Recording station Time difference in the arrival time Distance of epicenter
of P-wave and S-wave (seconds) from the station (km)
Batangas 44.8
Puerto Princesa 52
Davao 38.4
2. Compute the distance of the epicenter from each of the stations using this formula:

3. Choose one of the recording stations and measure the computed distance on the map scale
(the scale of the map in is 1.5 cm: 200 km). Set your compass for that computed distance.
4. Center your compass on the station you have chosen. Draw a circle.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the rest of the stations. You should get three circles that intersect or
nearly intersect at a point. This intersection is the epicenter.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PHILIPPINE_MAP.jpg
7
Guide Questions:
Q1. Where is the epicenter of this hypothetical earthquake?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Q2. What difficulty will you encounter if you only have data from two recording stations?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Directions: Write five sentences summarizing what you have learned from this module.

After studying the module, I have learned that

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Directions: Write a short essay about the importance of knowing the earthquake epicenter.
What real life example can you give about this?

______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Let’s Practice Further!

Directions: Analyze the given seismograph reading and complete the table below.

Station A Station B
8
 Station C
http://scienceovereverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Earthquake-Triangulation-Lab.pdf

Data Table

Location P-wave(sec) S-wave (sec) Difference in arrival Distance from

time (S-wave - P-wave) the station (km)
Station A
Station B
Station C

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. It is also known as the shear waves
A. Compressional wave C. Primary wave
B. Longitudinal wave D. Transverse wave

2. The method used in locating the epicenter of an earthquake

A. Binary method C. Research method
B. Calculating method D. Triangulation method

3. The most common cause of tectonic earthquake

A. Astatic strain C. Static strain
B. Elastic strain D. All of the Above

4. The number of manned seismic stations in the Philippines

A. 6 B. 29 C. 30 D. 65

5. It is the area where there is direct movement

A. Epicenter C. Both A and B
B. Focus D. Neither A nor B

6. It is the fastest type of body wave

A. Love wave C. Rayleigh wave
B. P-wave D. S-wave

9
 7. The Philippine agency that monitors the earthquake activity
A. DENR B. DepEd C. NASA D. PHIVOLCS

8. The most destructive type of seismic wave

A. Love wave B. P-wave C. Rayleigh wave D. S-wave

9. P-wave is also known for several names EXCEPT

A. Compressional wave C. Primary wave
B. Longitudinal wave D. Shear wave

10. The area directly above the focus

A. Epicenter B. Fault C. Fold D. Hypocenter

For numbers 11-15. Choose your answer below.

A. Body waves
B. Love Wave
C. P-wave
D. Rayleigh wave
E. S-wave
F. Surface wave

11. Identify letter B

12. Identify letter C
13. Identify letter A
14. This wave moves in an up and down direction like a rolling action
15. This wave caused the most destruction to buildings

Directions: Make a research for the following:

1. Last five years occurence of Earthquake in the Philippines with an

intensity/magnitude 5 and above.
2. Last five years occurrence of Volcanic Eruptions with a greatly damage in
agriculture, infrastructures and mortality.
Create a poem, song, and spoken poetry that illustrate a hardship experience during an
Earthquake and Volcanic Eruptions. (Choose only one)

10