Lab Activity Outline
Part 1: Plate Boundaries
Goal: Understand the different plate boundaries and what type of movement occurs at each of these boundaries, including at which boundaries earthquakes occur at.
Complete the “scavenger hunt” sheet from the information provided in a few locations around the school.
Part 2: Understanding Seismology and Seismic Waves
(use a laptop/computer to help you with the next portions of the lab)
Introduction to Seismic Waves: https://www.sciencecourseware.org/VirtualEarthquake/VQuakeExecute.html
Review notes and information on P-waves and S-waves. Explain how these waves travel through the earth and are detected by seismographs.
Discuss the differences in speed, motion, and the materials these waves can travel through.
2. Explore the Virtual Earthquake Lab: https://ds.iris.edu/seismon/swaves/
Students access the IRIS Virtual Earthquake Lab.
The simulator guides students through an earthquake scenario where they measure the time lag between P-waves and S-waves to determine the earthquake’s epicenter.
3. Recording Seismic Data:
Practice measuring seismic wave arrival times on virtual seismograms.
Use this data to predict the earthquake’s epicenter by examining seismograms from multiple locations.
4. Reflection Questions:
What is the difference in travel time between P-waves and S-waves? Why does this difference increase with distance?
How accurate was your epicenter prediction, and what challenges did you face in measuring it?
Part 3: Earthquake Magnitude and Depth Analysis via Exploration of the Virtual Earthquake Lab:
Students access the IRIS Virtual Earthquake Lab. (see link below), see how it works.
Access the IRIS Seismic Monitor - Try the different options in the lab and see what you can find out about earthquakes. List the things this site can tell you on a piece of lined paper.
Using the IRIS Seismic Monitor, explore recent real-time earthquakes around the world.
Select a few recent earthquakes, noting the magnitude, depth, and affected area. Try to choose earthquakes from different tectonic settings and of different magnitudes.
Map out a these Earthquakes (put these on your map). Connect to data so you know which EQ goes with what data.
Part 4: Impacts of Earthquakes
Analyze Earthquake Impact Based on Depth and Magnitude:
Using the simulator https://www.iris.edu/app/10.5/, adjust variables like earthquake magnitude and depth to see how these factors impact the energy released.
Note how deeper earthquakes (like those in subduction zones) tend to have different surface impacts than shallow earthquakes.
Calculate Energy Released:
Use the simulator to view the logarithmic scale of earthquake magnitudes and discuss why a small increase in magnitude means a significant increase in energy.
Record energy comparisons, such as comparing a magnitude 6.0 to a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
Reflection Questions:
How does increasing earthquake depth affect surface impact and wave strength?
Why does a higher magnitude earthquake release exponentially more energy?
Part 3: Discussion and Conclusion
Data Comparison and Real-World Implications:
Students compare their simulated earthquake results with recent earthquakes displayed on the IRIS Seismic Monitor. What do you notice?
Discuss the implications of earthquake magnitude and depth in real-world scenarios, such as building codes in earthquake-prone areas.
Summary Questions:
What role do seismic waves play in helping scientists understand earthquakes?
How can seismology data help prepare regions for future earthquakes?
Relate plate tectonics to locations of Earthquakes. Reflect on how using real-time data from the IRIS Seismic Monitor might enhance our understanding of global earthquake patterns.
Why is monitoring seismic activity around the world important?
https://www.sciencecourseware.org/VirtualEarthquake/VQuakeExecute.htm
https://www.iris.edu/app/10.5/
https://ds.iris.edu/seismon/swaves/
https://ds.iris.edu/ieb/index.html?format=text&nodata=404&starttime=1970-01-01&endtime=2025-01-01&minmag=0&maxmag=10&mindepth=0&maxdepth=900&orderby=time-desc&src=usgs&limit=1000&maxlat=73.43&minlat=-73.43&maxlon=180.00&minlon=-180.00&zm=2&mt=ter
