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Science
Quarter 2- Module 4:
Week 4: How Earthquake Waves
Provide Information
About Earth’s Interior
 Lesson How Earthquake Waves Provide Information
4 About the Earth’s Interior

Quarter : Second Quarter

Content Standard : The learners should be able to demonstrate understanding on
the relationship between faults and earthquakes.
Performance Standard : The learners should be able to participate in decision making
on where to build structures based on knowledge of the
location of active faults in the community.
Competency : The learners should be able to explain how earthquake
waves provide information about the interior of the earth.
Duration : Quarter 2, Week 4
Topic : How earthquake waves provide information about the interior
of the Earth.

What I Need to Know

It is amazing how much we know about the interior of the Earth, given that we
can only observe a small part of it. The deepest mines are only a few kilometers, and
the deepest hole ever drilled is about 12 kilometers deep. Efforts to drill where the
crust, have all had to stop when conditions became too hot for drilling equipment. No
boreholes have ever come close to the depth of the mantle.
Due to our lack of access to the Earth’s interior, scientists rely on indirect
observations to learn about what is below the surface. One way, that they do is by
studying the movement of pressure waves as they travel through the interior of the
Earth.

Objectives
1. Define seismic waves and explain the difference between primary and
secondary waves.
2. State what happen to P and S waves as they travel inside earth.
3. Explain how earthquake waves provide information about the interior of the
earth.
4. Apply the concept in real life situations.

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 What I Know

Pre-Assessment

Multiple Choice. Read and understand each question below. Write the letter of your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. When do earthquakes happen?

A. breaking of the material C. mushrooming during folding
B. brittle failure during faulting D. plastic failure within the mantle

2. What is a seismic wave? It is a wave of energy that_________.

A. break the material that they pass through
B. elastically distort material that they pass through
C. plastically distort the material that they pass through
D. permanently distort the material that they pass through

3. Which is the region of initiation of seismic energy within the earth?

A. epicenter B. fault C. focus D. tectonic plate

4.As rupture along a fault starts, how do you describe the path of energy waves
travelling outward from the focus?
A. curve C. straight-line
B. linear fashion D. spherical fashion

5. What is the use of a seismograph?

A. sounds an alarm
B. prevents earthquakes from occurring
C. calms the seismologist during an earthquake
D. records the vibrations produced during an earthquake

6. Who developed the device used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake?

A. Art Smith B. Charles Richter C. Edward Sheridan D. James Hutton

7. What do you call the waves that can travel through the layers of the earth?
A. body waves B. Love wave C. Rayleigh wave D. surface waves

8.How many seismograph stations are needed to locate the epicenter of an

earthquake?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4

9. In general, what is the most destructive earthquake waves?

A. p waves B. q waves C. s waves D. surface waves

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10. What causes the up-and-down wiggles on the seismogram shown below?

A. electromagnetic pulses C. tsunami waves

B. ground shaking D. variation in air pressure

11. What do you call the edges where two tectonic plates meet?
A. discontinuity B. elastic limit C. fault D. plate boundary

12. Which refers to the change in original size or shape brought about by a stress
applied on a rock?
A. deformation B. expansion C. pressure D. subduction

13. What evidence do we have that the earth has a liquid core?
A. The S wave shadow zone.
B. Refraction of seismic waves.
C. Reflection of seismic waves.
D. The time lag between P and S waves.

14. Which type of seismic wave travels the slowest and causes the most damage?
A. body waves B. p-waves C. s-waves D. surface waves

15. How would you describe primary waves? These are waves that ______.
A. travel through a vacuum.
B. cause rock particles to vibrate.
C. travel the slowest and cause the largest destruction.
D. travel the fastest and cause rock material to move back and forth.

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 What’s In

Let us take a quick review of what you have learned from the previous module.
This will surely help you get connected.

Activity 1: Matching Type. Match the words in column A with the definition in B. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1.magnitude a. areas which had not displayed any

seismic activity for more than thousand
years.

2. focus b. a measure of earthquake size and remain

unchanged

3. epicenter c. generally felt by most people like indoors

and outdoors; sleeping people awakened

4. earthquake d. the degree of shaking at a given place

and decreases with distance from the
earthquake epicenter

5. intensity VI e. the point on the surface of the earth

directly above the focus.

6.inactive fault f. area along which all shallow earthquakes

occur

7. intensity g. the shaking that radiates out from the

breaking rock

8. intensity V h. the actual point of rock breakage

9. active fault i. Many people are frightened; run outdoors.

Some people lose their balance.

10. tectonic plate j. massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid

rock, generally composed of both
continental and oceanic lithosphere

k. light sleepers are awakened; vibration is

felt like passing a heavy truck

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 What’s New

Study the pictures below.

mantle

outer core
crust

1. What have you observed from the pictures?

2. How does the first picture differ from the other?
3. What do you think these pictures are?

What Is it

What’s Inside the Earth?

We often think of earthquakes as something harmful and the reason is obvious.

But earthquakes help scientists figure out what is inside the Earth. How? As you know
by now, when a fault suddenly moves, an earthquake is generated.
The shaking starts from the focus and spreads out. You can get an idea of how this
happens by throwing a pebble into a pond. See the ripples that move out in circles?
The vibrations from the focus are something like that.
The energy from earthquakes travels in waves. The study of seismic waves is
known as seismology. Seismologists use seismic waves to learn about earthquakes
and also to learn about the Earth’s interior. One ingenious way scientists learn about
Earth’s interior is by looking at earthquake waves. Seismic waves travel outward in all
directions from where the ground breaks and are picked up by seismographs around
the world. Richter scale quantitative measure of an earthquake’s magnitude devised
in 1935 by American seismologists Charles F. Richter and Beno Gutenberg. The
earthquake’s magnitude is determined using the logarithm of the amplitude of the

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largest seismic wave calibrated to a scale by a seismograph.
As seismic waves travel through the body
of the Earth, they behave in different ways,
depending on what they encounter along
way (Figure 1).
For example, as seismic waves travel
deeper into the crust, they speed up.
That means that at depth the rocks are
denser. In the upper part of the mantle,
the waves slow down. That means the
rocks there are partially molten.
As the waves reach the core, one kind of Figure 1. The behavior of seismic waves
seismic wave (s-waves) disappears. reveals what the Earth looks like inside.
That means that the outer core is liquid.
At certain depths, the waves are reflected and refracted (bent). That means the
Earth must be layered.
Thus, earthquake waves give us a picture of the Earth’s interior, the way an
“ultrasound” provides an image of a baby inside the womb. Therefore, scientists know
a bit about the interior of our home planet, even if no one has gone deep into the Earth
yet.
Seismic waves travel through different materials at different speeds, and we
can apply knowledge of how they interact with different materials to understand Earth’s
layers and internal structures. Like the way that ultrasound is used to image the human
body, we can measure how long it takes for seismic waves to travel from their source
to a recording station.
P-waves can travel rapidly through both liquids and solids. On other hand S-
waves, travel through solids, and are slower than P-waves. Observing where P-waves
travel, and S-waves do not, allows us to identify regions within Earth that are melted.

Figure 2. Particle motion is parallel to the direction of wave propagation for

P waves and perpendicular to the direction of propagation for S waves

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Earth Structure Using Seismic Waves

The study of seismic waves provides evidence for the internal structure of the
Earth, which cannot be observed directly. Seismic waves from large earthquakes are
detected around the world. Their paths are curved as the waves refract due to the
gradually changing density of the layers.

P-waves S-waves

Type of wave longitudinal transverse

Relative Speed faster slower

Can travel through solids and liquids solids only

S-waves are not detected on the opposite side of the Earth which means that
the mantle has solid properties. S-waves do not travel through the liquid outer core,
so they leave a shadow on Earth’s far side.

P-waves are detected on the opposite side of the Earth. Thus, they are
refracted as they travel through the earth. P-wave shadow zone occurs because
seismic velocities are much lower in the liquid outer core than in the overlying mantle,
and the P-waves are refracted in a way that it leaves a gap. In addition, shadow zones
tell us that the outer core is liquid, and the size of the shadow zones allows us to
calculate the size of the core, and the location of the core-mantle boundary.

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Primary waves travel faster than secondary waves and are therefore the first ones to
arrive at any point distant from the epicenter of the earthquake. This difference in travel
speed allows seismologists to determine the location of an underground earthquakes.
Earthquakes radiate seismic energy as both body and surface waves.
Surface waves can travel along earth’s surface, cause most of the damage
associated with earthquakes, produce low-frequency vibrations, travel slowly, take
longer to diminish, and do not penetrate the interior.

Figure 3. Body and Surface Waves

Love wave is type of surface wave, which involve shear motion. Still, other
varieties of surface waves can be transmitted through low-velocity layers or along the
surface of a borehole. Under certain circumstances, waves can change from one
mode to another. Rayleigh wave particle moves in an elliptical path in the vertical
plane from the source. The horizontal component of Rayleigh waves is probably the
principal cause of damage from earthquakes.

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 The back-and-forth motion produced as P waves travel
S waves cause the ground to shake up-and-down and
along the surface can cause the ground to buckle and
sideways.
fracture.

One type of surface wave moves the ground from Another type of surface wave travels along earth’s
side to side and can damage the foundation of surface-much like rolling ocean waves. The arrow
buildings. shows the movement of rock as the wave passes.

The structure of the earth is divided into four major parts: crust, mantle, outer
core, and the inner core. Each layer has a unique chemical composition, physical
state, and brings life on Earth's surface. Movement in the mantle caused by variations
in heat from the core, cause the plates to shift, which can cause earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. These natural hazards then change our landscape, and in some
cases, threaten lives and property.
The Earth’s outermost layer is crust which is rocky and rigid. Mantle,
the viscous layer that makes up more than half of Earth's volume. The outer core is
molten and liquid iron and nickel, while the inner core is solid and much denser than
either iron or nickel at the surface.

Figure 4. Structure of Earth’s Interior

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 What’s More

Amazing Waves

Objectives:
a. Define seismic waves scientifically.
b. Differentiate the different types of seismic waves.
c. Recognize the importance of seismic waves in the study of the
earth’s interior.
Directions: Copy the concept map below on a separate sheet of paper and write the
necessary information to complete the concept about seismic waves.

Seismic Waves

(definition)

Main Types

Sub-types Sub-types

S-wave

(characteristics) (characteristics) (characteristics) (characteristics)

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 1.
2. What I Have Learned

A. Labelling work. The diagram below shows a path of waves of an earthquake.

Identify which is tectonic plate, focus, fault line, earth’s crust, and epicenter.
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1.

4.

2.
5.

3.

B. 1.How does the energy of an earthquake travel through earth?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________.

C. On a separate sheet of paper, write the word/words that completes the

paragraph. Choose your answers inside the box.

seismic wave seismogram seismograph

magnitude intensity tectonic plate

A ___(1)_____is an energy that travels through earth. A _____(2)____is an

instrument that records waves. On the other hand, the tracing of earthquake motion
is called ____(3)____. A_____(4)______measures the energy released at the
source of an earthquake while ____(5)______measures the strength of shaking
produced by an earthquake at a certain location.

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 What I Can Do

Robert Mallet who first discovered seismic waves in 1850. He realized that most
earthquake damage is due to moving waves caused by a sudden land movement.
With this, make a thank you letter address to him. Write it in a one whole sheet of
paper.

Rubrics:

Category 5 4 3 2
Focus Sharp, distinct Apparent point No apparent Minimal
controlling made about a point but evidence of a
point made single topic evidence of a topic.
about a single with sufficient specific topic.
topic. awareness of
task.
Content Substantial, Sufficiently Limited Superficial
specific and/or developed content with and/or minimal
illustrative content with inadequate content.
content adequate elaboration.
demonstrating elaboration.
strong
development
and
sophisticated
ideas.
Organization Well-arranged Functional Confused or Minimal
content. arrangement inconsistent control of
of content that arrangement content
sustains a of content. arrangement.
logical order.

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 Assessment

Multiple Choice. Read and understand each question below. Write the letter of your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1.How are P-waves propagated? They are propagated through _____.

A. circular motion like an ocean wave
B. snake-like motions parallel to the earth
C. contraction and expansion that are in the direction of wave propagation
D. shearing motion that are at right angles to the direction of wave
propagation

2.How do rock particles move as P-waves pass through?

A. in rolling circular motion
B. back and forth, parallel to the direction of P-waves
C. up and down, perpendicular to the direction of waves
D. back and forth, perpendicular to the direction of P-waves

3. Which is the correct sequence of earthquake waves?

A. P-waves - S-waves - surface waves
B. surface waves - P-waves - S-waves
C. P-waves - surface waves - S-waves
D. S-waves - P-waves - surface waves

4. Where do body waves travel? It emanates spherically from focus to the_____.

A. bottom of the ocean C. surface of the earth
B. entire interior of the earth D. surface of the ocean

5. Which of the seismic waves move fastest?

A. body wave B. P-wave C. S-wave D. surface wave

6. Which wave travels in solids only?

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

7. Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A. P-waves travel faster than S-waves.
B. Most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries.
C. Earthquakes can be caused by the movements of faults.
D. The time and location of most major earthquakes can be predicted several
advance.

8. What consist body waves?

A. P waves only C. P and S waves
B. S waves only D. surface waves

9. How would you describe a Rayleigh wave?

A. Travel along earth’s surface-much like rolling ocean waves.
B. Can cause the ground to shake up-and-down, and sideways.
C. Move back-and-forth motion produced as waves that travel along the surface.

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 D. Moves the ground from side to side and can damage the foundation of
buildings.

10. How does P-wave differ from S-wave?

A. P-wave travel slower than S-wave.
B. P-wave is transverse, and S-wave is longitudinal.
C. P-wave can travel through solids only and S-wave on solid and liquid.
D. P- wave detects on the opposite side of the earth and S-wave do not travel
through liquid outer core.

11. What waves produced by an earthquake that travels outward from the focus?
A. chemical waves C. gravity waves
B. electromagnetic waves D. seismic waves

12. Where is focus located?

A. At the fault
B. Closest to the seismic station.
C. The place where the greatest damage occurs.
D. The point (below earth’s surface) where rocks first begin to break, and
movement occurs.

13. What happen to the P-waves as they pass through different materials? They are
___________.
A. reflected and refracted C. deformed and twisted
B. absorbed and penetrated D. produced and scattered

14.Why do S waves cause more damage than P waves? Because S waves _____.
A. are compressional waves
B. are not transmitted through liquid outer core
C. moves in an elliptical path in the vertical plane from the source
D. greater amplitude and produce vertical and horizontal motion of the ground
surface

15.Why do P waves bend when travelling? It is due to the __________.

A. increased density of mantle rocks with depth
B. decreased density of mantle rocks with depth
C. change of direction as they pass through boundaries
D. rock oscillates perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation

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 Additional Activity

Venn Diagram

A. Directions: Copy the Venn Diagram below using a separate sheet of paper.
Compare and contrast the characteristics of primary and secondary waves.
Write the distinct characteristics of P-waves in A and S-waves in C. Then, write
their similarities in B.

P-waves S-waves

A. B. C.

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References and Links

Campo, Pia C., et Al 2013, Science 8 Learner’s Module, First Edition. Philippines:
Department of Education.

Campo, Pia C., et Al 2013, Science 8 Teacher’s Guide, First Edition. Philippines:
Department of Education.

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://scienceprimer.com/studying-inside-earth

(n.d.). Retrieved from Visual Geology:

http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/visualgeology/geology101/Geology100Exams/Earthq
uakes.pdf

bitesize. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgyk6yc/revision/3

Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/Richter-scale

Britannica.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic?Earth-

exploration/Seismic-refraction-methods#ref520552

Geographic, N. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/resource-library-earth-structure

Physical Geology. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://openpress.usask.ca/physicalgeology/chapter/3-2-understanding-earth-
through-seismology2/?fbclid=IwAR3Bb1GHAZEhPKOnk1RE_6wnOIu4d04Yt-
gpUSyE5QTQRtd_ecdrC3OpbrA

Society, N. G. (2015, July 7). Retrieved from

www.nationalgeographic.org>media>earth's-interio

Images

Layers of the Earth’s Interior

https://www.google.com/search?q=layers+of+earth%27s+interior&source=lnms&tbm=isch&s
a=X&ved=2ahUKEwj00tOi3rvsAhWFHqYKHSZcBzcQ_AUoAXoECDEQAw&biw=1315&bih=
640#imgrc=X3cby8iwFEeZSM

P waves and S waves

https://www.google.com/search?q=p+waves+and+s+waves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjWrK
Cm37vsAhUJU5QKHVatA3oQ2cCegQIABAA&oq=p+waves+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgI
IADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoFCAAQsQ
M6BwgAELEDEENQoqMGWO_FBmC52QZoAHAAeASAAdAFiAHbPZIBCTMtMS4xLjkuMp
gBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEAwAEB&sclient=img&ei=KPOKX9b4C4mm0QTW2o
7QBw&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=V4pPKvyr-o4fhM

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Body and Surface Waves
https://www.google.com/search?q=body+waves+and+surface+waves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahU
KEwj2vKPlmMPsAhUlHKYKHeQbD-sQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=body+waves+and+surface+waves&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1DxowNYvLYD
YJi8A2gAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=9
9qOX7blFaW4mAXkt7zYDg&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=HFeU1XFV-L4AaM

Seismic Waves
https://www.google.com/search?q=seismic+waves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjF_PODmcPs
AhUSBpQKHa-9Bt8Q2
cCegQIABAA&oq=seismic+waves&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIEC
AAQQzIFCAAQsQMyBAgAEEMyAggAMgIIADIECAAQQzICCAAyAggAUMXUBVji6w9gxfU
PaABwAHgCgAGrLogBxNEBkgENMC40LjQuNC4zLjktNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1
nsAEAwAEB&sclient=img&ei=N9uOX4WFJJKM0ASv-
5r4DQ&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=LKz6OFNQgpsGXM&imgdii=YJxu8uhFAznkEM

Focus and Epicenter

https://www.google.com/search?q=focus+earthquake&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2
ahUKEwjF7qglsLsAhUdyosBHbXjBOwQ_AUoAXoECBsQAw&biw=1315&bih=640#imgrc=W
InKNUsiTvmWZM

Magnitude and Intensity

https://www.google.com/search?q=intensity+and+magnitude+of+earthquake&tbm=isch&ved
=2ahUKEwjNtLytlsLsAhUP6pQKHeQVBowQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=intensity+an&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgCMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCA
AyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoFCAAQsQM6BwgAELEDEEM6CAgAELE
DEIMBUIn9GVjdnRpg2rYaaABwAHgAgAGYCYgBuzeSAQk0LTIuMi40LjGYAQCgAQGqAQt
nd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=MVKOX43YK4_U0wTkq5jgCA&bih=640&biw=131
5#imgrc=sBbNq_754HJiNM

Active and Inactive Fault

https://www.google.com/search?q=active+and+inactive+faults&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiZ_
IiAmMLsAhUKDZQKHR37DWEQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=active+and+inactive+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgCMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgI
IADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoGCAAQBRAeOgUIABCxAzoHC
AAQsQMQQzoICAAQsQMQgwE6CggAELEDEIMBEENQjY4uWPbKLmDw5C5oAHAAeAS
AAaUEiAHiJpIBDDAuMTkuMi4xLjIuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEAwAEB&sclie
nt=img&ei=61OOX9naFoqa0ASd9reIBg&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=ir3_bhVmVVM05M

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