DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

10 Mandaue City Division

Plaridel St., Reclamation Area, Mandaue City

Science 10
First Grading - Module 1 Week 1
PLATE TECTONIC: Finding the
Epicenter

SELF – LEARNING KIT

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 Content Standard: The relationship among the locations of volcanoes, earthquake
epicenters, and mountain ranges.

Learning Competency: Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes,

earthquake epicenters, and major mountain belts to Plate Tectonics. (S10ES –Ia-j-36.1)

INTRODUCTION

The Philippines is one of the countries blessed with natural resources. These
resources are of great help not only for our economy but also for the people
utilizing them. For example, we have volcanoes, in different parts of the country.
Volcanic activity helps in a way by the locals to grow their crops. We also have
mountain range which serves as home to many endemic species of flora and
fauna. Furthermore, these mountains shield us from strong typhoon and other
calamities.

This Self-Learning Kit will guide you as you learn new ideas in
understanding how and why several features of the Earth continuously change. It
will also deepen your understanding about the processes involved as geologic
events continue to happen every day.

In this kit, you are expected to gain knowledge about “Plate Tectonics”. This
is the theory that describes the events within the Earth that give rise to mountain
formation, volcanoes, earthquake belts, and other features of the Earth’s surface.

PRE-ASSESSMENT

Write the letter and words of your chosen answer using your answer sheet.

1. What do you call the outermost layer of the earth which is made of a variety of
solid rocks like sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks?
A. crust B. mantle C. core D. inner core
2. What part of the Earth consists of the crust and the upper part of the mantle?
A. hydrosphere B. mesosphere C. lithosphere D. ionosphere
3. What theory in Geology explains the movement of the Earth’s lithosphere?
A. Continental Drift Theory C. Bing Bang Theory
B. Seafloor Spreading Theory D. Plate Tectonics Theory
4. What type of seismic waves has the greatest velocity?
A. Primary ( P-waves) C. Long ( L-waves)
B. Secondary (S-waves) D. Tertiary ( T-waves)
5. You were asked to locate the epicenter of a recent earthquake. Which correct
sequence of events should you follow?
I. Determine the distance of the epicenter from the station.
II. Use triangulation method to locate the epicenter.

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 II. Obtain data from three different seismographs stations.
III. Determine the difference in the arrival time of P- and S-waves recorded from
each of the seismological stations.
A. IV, I, II, III C. III, I, II, IV
B. I, II, IV, III D. II, IV, I, II
REVIEW

In your Grade 9 Science, part of your lessons was about volcanoes. You have
learned about the position of the Philippines in the Ring of Fire and its
relationship to the presence of active and inactive volcanoes in our country.

In this lesson you will study about the occurrence of different geologic processes
that is caused by the lithospheric movements. You will also use some of your
science skills such as making tables, measuring, and interpreting data.

Activity 1

Oh, My crust!

OBJECTIVES

a. Describe the lithosphere.

b. Identify the kinds of crust.
c. Differentiate the kinds of crust through a table.

MATERIALS

Paper, Pen

PROCEDURES
1. Study figure 1 shown below and get the salient (important) features of the kinds of
crust.
2. Differentiate oceanic crust from continental crust using a table.

Illustration of the Crust

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 QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. What is a crust? _________________________________________

2. What is a lithosphere? ___________________________________
3. What are the kinds of crust? _____________________________
4. How will you differentiate continental crust from oceanic crust? Base your answer
by using the table below. ________________________________________________________
5. What makes oceanic crust denser than the continental
crust?______________________

DISCUSSION

The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the Earth. It includes the brittle
upper portion of the mantle and the crust, which is the outer most layer of the
Earth’s structure. It consists of three main layers: crust, mantle and core.
The crust is an extremely thin layer of rock that makes up the outermost solid
shell of our planet. Its thickness is like that of the skin of an apple. It amounts to
less than half of 1 percent of the planet’s total mass but plays a vital role in most
of Earth’s natural cycles.
There are two kinds of crust; continental and oceanic. The table below
shows the difference between continental crust and oceanic crust.

Continental Crust Oceanic Crust

Covers approximately 71% of
Earth’s surface
About 25-70 kilometres thick
Made up mostly of lighter granite
Felsic in nature (minerals having
specific gravities less than 3.0)
Rich in silica, aluminum, sodium
and potassium
About 5- 10 kilometres thick
Much thinner than the continental
crust
Average depth is 5 kilometres
Made up mostly of denser basaltic
rock
Mafic in nature (minerals having
relatively high specific gravities
greater than 3.0).

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 Activity 2

Amazing Plates!

OBJECTIVES

a. Identify the seven major plates around the world.

b. Describe the movement of plates.
c. Give one consequence of plate movement.

MATERIALS

Hard-boiled egg
Map of Plate Boundaries
Marking Pen
Paper and pen

PROCEDURES
1. Examine the hard-boiled egg. Observe the outer covering and write down your
observation on a piece of paper.
2. Hold the hard-boiled egg and drop it at about 3 feet from the floor.
3. Trace the cracks on the outer shell using your marking pen. Observe the sizes of
the cracks.
4. Study the Map of Plate Boundaries below:

5. Compare the plates on the map and the cracks on the hard-boiled egg.

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 QUESTIONS

1. What happens to the hard-boiled egg after dropping it?

2. What does the outer covering (shell) of the egg represent?
3. What do you think is the purpose of marking the lines along with the cracks?
4. What do the markings represent?
5. Compare the cracked hard-boiled egg to the map of Plate Boundaries. What are
the similarities?
6. Study the map again. Look for the bigger and smaller plates. What are the seven
major plates?
7. How will you describe the movement of lithospheric plates?
8. What theory is unraveled in this activity?
9. What do Plate Tectonics mean?
10. What consequence can we experience due to plate movement?

The entire lithosphere of the Earth is

Discussion: broken into several segments called
plates. These plates are constantly
moving in a slow manner. The
movement of plates is called
“tectonics”, thus, the theory of moving
lithospheric plates is called plate
tectonics. There are seven major plates
namely: African plate, Antarctic plate,
Eurasian plate, Indo-Australian plate,
North American plate, Pacific plate
and South American plate. Each plate
is marked by a dividing line called plate
boundary. One of the consequences of
plate movement is the occurrence of
earthquake.

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 Before we dig deeper about plate tectonics, particularly earthquake, let
us review first about seismic waves. Seismic waves are waves released
during an earthquake. There are three types: Primary (P-waves) which
travel faster than the secondary waves, the Secondary (S-waves) which
travel slower than P-waves, and Long surface waves (L-waves) which
travel on the surface of the Earth.

During an earthquake, body waves (P-wave and S-wave) travel at

different velocities; thus, do not arrive at the seismic recording stations
at the same time. The difference in the arrival time will tell us the
distance of the earthquake focus from the seismic recording station.
How to locate the epicenter of an earthquake? The next activity will give
you an idea on how to locate the epicenter of an earthquake.

Activity 3
Find the Center

OBJECTIVE

Locate the epicenter of an earthquake using the triangulation method.

MATERIALS

• 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.
Time Distance(d) of Scaled
Recording difference epicenter distance
station (Td) in the from the on the
arrival time station (km) map (cm)
of P-wave (1.5
and S-wave cm:200
(seconds) km)
Virac 44.8
Catanduanes
Cebu 32
Ormoc 38.4

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2. Compute the distance of the epicenter (d) from each of the stations using this
formula: Write your answer in column 3.

𝐓𝐝
d= x 100 km
𝟖 𝐬𝐞𝐜

Where: d = distance of epicenter from the station (km)

Td = time difference in the arrival time of P-wave and S-wave (seconds)
Note: This formula is suited because 8 seconds is the interval between the
times of arrival of the P-wave and S-wave at a distance of 100 km.

3. Convert the distance (d) in kilometers (km) to scale measurement in centimeters

(cm). (The scale of the map in Figure 1 is 1.5 cm: 200 km). Scale distance formula
is given below. Write your answer in column 4.

𝟏.𝟓 𝐜𝐦
Scaled distance = d x 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐤𝐦

4. Using the Philippine map, center your compass on the recording station. Set
your compass for that scaled distance. (Refer to column 4). Draw a circle. You
should get three circles that intersect or nearly intersect at a point. This
intersection is the epicenter.
Figure 1: Map of the Philippines

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 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?

Q3. Why do we scale the distance (in km) of the recording stations to cm in using
the map?

DISCUSSION

In order to locate the epicenter of an earthquake, you

need to determine the time interval between the arrival of the P
and S waves (the S-P interval) on the seismograms from at least
different stations. You have to measure the interval to the
closest second and then use a graph (distance-time graph to
convert the S-P interval to the epicentral distance.
Once you have the epicentral distances, you can draw
circles to represent each distance on a map.
The radius of each circle corresponds to the epicentral
distance for each seismic recording station. Once you have
drawn all three circles and located the point where all three
intersect, you will have successfully located (triangulated) the
epicenter of the earthquake.

GENERALIZATION:

➢ According to the plate tectonic model, the entire lithosphere of

the Earth is broken into numerous segments called plates.
➢ Each plate is constantly moving in a slow manner.
➢ Earthquake is one of the consequences of plate movements.
➢ Earthquake epicenters can be determined using the
triangulation method.

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 APPLICATION

Why is an earthquake drill important especially to those people living near a fault
line?

POST ASSESSMENT

Write the letter and words of your answer using your answer sheet.

1. What are the rigid sections of the lithosphere that moves as a unit?
A. asthenosphere C. continental drift
B. plates D. oceanic crust
2. Which type of seismic waves has the fastest velocity?
A. P-waves C. L-waves
B. S-waves D. R-waves
3. What is lithosphere made up of?
A. Upper and lower mantle C. crust and upper mantle
B. Inner and outer core D. lower mantle and core
4. You were provided with data showing the arrival time of the P- and S- waves
recorded from three seismic stations. Which of these can you possibly determine?
A. The damage at the focus
B. The distance to the earthquake
C. The intensity of the earthquake
D. The location of the epicenter
5. What is the importance of determining the epicenter of an earthquake?
A. To pinpoint which lines are active?
B. To identify the damage caused by an earthquake
C. To determine the intensity and direction
D. To give accurate reports to the people affected

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

Make a research about the different fault lines in the Philippines. Suggest ways on
how we can minimize the impact of earthquake in our own community.

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 ANSWER KEY

Activity 1- Oh, My Crust!

1. The crust is an extremely thin layer of rock that makes up the outermost
solid shell of our planet.
2. The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the Earth. It includes the brittle
upper portion of the mantle and the crust, which is the outer most layer of
the Earth’s structure
3. Continental and Oceanic
4. Refer to the table below:

Continental Crust Oceanic Crust

Covers approximately 71%
Earth’s surface
About 25-70 kilometers thick
Made up mostly of lighter granite
Felsic in nature(minerals having
specific gravities less than 3.0
Rich in silica, aluminium ,sodium
and potassium
of About 5- 10 kilometers thick
Much thinner than the continental
crust
Average depth is 5 kilometers
Made up mostly of denser basaltic
rock
Mafic in nature(minerals having
relatively high specific gravities
(greater than 3.0)

5. Oceanic crust is made up mostly of basaltic rock which is denser than

that of continental crust

Activity 2- Amazing Plates!

1. The egg shell cracked and was divided into segments.

2. The outer covering represents the crust.
3. The lines serve as boundaries among plates.
4. Boundary
5. Both have segments/units surrounded by boundaries
6. African plate, Antarctic Plate, Indo-Australian plate, North American plate,
Pacific plate and South American plate
7. Constantly moving in a slow manner
8. Plate Tectonics
9. Lithospheric movement of the earth
10. Earthquake

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Activity 3- Find the Center

1. Answer: Borongan Samar

2. Answer: Assuming that the two circles will intersect, the circles will intersect
at two points. Therefore, there will be two locations that could possibly be
the epicenter. If you have only two data from two recording stations then
you will be having a hard time finding the correct location of the epicenter.
This is because triangulation method requires 3 recording station. If you
have 2 recording station, the 2 circles will intersect at 2 points giving you 2
locations that could possibly be the epicenter.
3. Answer: With proper scaling, scientist can determine the location of the
epicenter using the map. Scales are required to navigate maps correctly. It
gives you an accurate understanding of distance. In short, it allows you to
make measurements in the map and convert them to real distances.
4. References and Links

Science 10-Teacher’s Guide

Science 10-Learner’s Material

Bbc.com/news/world-asia

https://www.national geographic.org. Feb. 4,2013

https:// www.slideshare.net> mobile

Thought Co.-January 25,2019

Sciencing.Com/difference-between-continental-oceanic-
plates8527794.html

I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to my family and friends

for their encouragement and overwhelming support from the start
until the end.

To my evaluator, Mr. Gayfred Comiros, for his time and effort extended
to improve the self- learning kit.

To our Education Program Supervisor in Science, Dr. Rufino T.

Tudlasan for his encouragement and guidance.

Most of all, to our Almighty God, for giving His endless blessings,
wisdom, and strength to make this self -learning kit possible.

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This self -learning kit will help you explore and understand the
natural processes and events around us. It will enhance your
understanding about the occurrence of earthquakes, volcanoes,
and mountain ranges around the world.

This kit is divided into different components and you are

encouraged to read and understand each component carefully.

First is the introduction that lays out what will be covered in the
entire lesson. Then, you will answer the pretest to evaluate your
prior knowledge about the topic. A series of activities will follow
which allow you to use and maximize your skills and apply
critical thinking in answering the questions after each activity.
Key concepts are provided after each activity to clarify your
doubts and confusion. After all the activities, summarized key
concepts are given to deepen your understanding about the
topic. Lastly, you will answer a post evaluation to assess your
learning about the entire lesson.

DIVISION OF MANDAUE CITY

NIMFA D. BONGO Ed.D, CESO

Schools Division Superintendent

ESTELA B. SUSVILLA, Ph.D, CESE

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

ISMAELITA DESABILLE Ed.D

Education Program Supervisor - LRMDS

RUFINO T. TUDLASAN, Ed.D

Education Program Supervisor – Science

GAYFRED COMIROS

Evaluator

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The writer, Fatima R. Juban, is presently a Junior High School
Science teacher of Canduman National High School. She
graduated Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in General
Science at Cebu Normal University.

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