Science

Quarter 2- Module 4
Week 4: Earthquake Waves
Provide Information About
Earth’s Interior
Science - Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 - Module 4: Earthquake Waves Provide Information About Earth’s
Interior
Revised Copy 2021

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1
 Earthquake Waves Provide Information
Lesson About the Earth’s Interior

Quarter : Second Quarter

Content Standard : The learners should be able to demonstrate understanding
of 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 : Week 4
Topic : 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.

What I Know

Pre-Assessment
Directions: 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

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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 B. linear fashion C. straight-line 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 that measures the magnitude of an earthquake?
A. Art Smith B. Charles Richter C. Edward Sheridan D. James Hutton
7. Which refers to 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 and
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
10. What causes the up-and-down wiggles on the seismogram below?

A. tsunami waves C. electromagnetic pulses

B. ground shaking D. variation in air pressure
11. What are 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? The _______.
A. S wave shadow zone C. reflection of seismic waves
B. refraction of seismic waves D. 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
“MATCH UP”

Directions: 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 and write your answers on a separate sheet of
paper.
mantle

outer core
crust
astarmathsandphysics.com

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 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 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 a
long way. For example, as seismic waves travel deeper into the crust, they speed up.
That means at depth the rocks are denser. In the upper part of the mantle, the waves

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slow down which means the rocks are partially molten. As the waves
reach the core, one kind of seismic wave (s waves) disappears. That
means that the outer core is liquid. At certain depths the waves are
reflected and refracted (bent); 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 Figure 1. The behavior of
different materials to understand Earth’s layers and internal seismic waves reveals what
the Earth looks like inside.
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

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.

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 Solid inner core

Liquid outer core

mantle

earth

bbc.co.uk
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.

Solid inner core

Liquid outer core

mantle

earth

bbc.co.uk
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.
surface waves

epicenter surface
focus

Body waves

cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com
Figure 3. Body and Surface Waves

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 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.

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

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

science.com
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.

geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/images/field/fig05-e.gif
Figure 4. Structure of Earth’s Interior

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 What’s More

Activity 2
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.

studylib.net

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.

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.

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

Assessment

Directions: 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 C. P-waves - surface waves - S-waves
B. surface waves - P-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

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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 in several
advances.
8. What do body waves consist of?
A. P waves only C. P and S waves
B. S waves only D. surface waves
9. How would you describe a Rayleigh wave? It________________.
A. travels along earth’s surface-much like rolling ocean waves
B. causes the ground to shake up-and-down, and sideways.
C. moves back-and-forth motion produced as waves that travel along the surface
D. moves the ground from side to side and can damage the foundation of
buildings
10. How does P-wave differ from S-wave? P-wave ____________.
A. travels slower than S-wave
B. is transverse, and S-wave is longitudinal
C. can travel through solids only and S-wave on solid and liquid
D. detects on the opposite side of the earth and S-wave do not travel through
liquid outer core
11. What waves are produced by an earthquake that travel 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. place where the greatest damage occurs
D. 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 similarities S-waves

A. B. C.

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/Earthquakes.pd
f
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

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Images
Layers of the Earth’s Interior
https://www.google.com/search?q=layers+of+earth%27s+interior&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa
=X&ved=2ahUKEwj00tOi3rvsAhWFHqYKHSZcBzcQ_AUoAXoECDEQAw&biw=1315&bih=64
0#imgrc=X3cby8iwFEeZSM

P waves and S waves

https://www.google.com/search?q=p+waves+and+s+waves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjWrKC
m37vsAhUJU5QKHVatA3oQ2cCegQIABAA&oq=p+waves+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIA
DICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoFCAAQsQM6B
wgAELEDEENQoqMGWO_FBmC52QZoAHAAeASAAdAFiAHbPZIBCTMtMS4xLjkuMpgBAK
ABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEAwAEB&sclient=img&ei=KPOKX9b4C4mm0QTW2o7QBw&
bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=V4pPKvyr-o4fhM

Body and Surface Waves

https://www.google.com/search?q=body+waves+and+surface+waves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUK
Ewj2vKPlmMPsAhUlHKYKHeQbD-sQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=body+waves+and+surface+waves&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1DxowNYvLYDYJ
i8A2gAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=99qO
X7blFaW4mAXkt7zYDg&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=HFeU1XFV-L4AaM

Seismic Waves
https://www.google.com/search?q=seismic+waves&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjF_PODmcPsAh
USBpQKHa-9Bt8Q2
cCegQIABAA&oq=seismic+waves&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIECA
AQQzIFCAAQsQMyBAgAEEMyAggAMgIIADIECAAQQzICCAAyAggAUMXUBVji6w9gxfUPaA
BwAHgCgAGrLogBxNEBkgENMC40LjQuNC4zLjktNJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAE
AwAEB&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=2a
hUKEwjF7qglsLsAhUdyosBHbXjBOwQ_AUoAXoECBsQAw&biw=1315&bih=640#imgrc=WIn
KNUsiTvmWZM

Magnitude and Intensity

https://www.google.com/search?q=intensity+and+magnitude+of+earthquake&tbm=isch&ved=
2ahUKEwjNtLytlsLsAhUP6pQKHeQVBowQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=intensity+an&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgCMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAA
yAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoFCAAQsQM6BwgAELEDEEM6CAgAELEDEI
MBUIn9GVjdnRpg2rYaaABwAHgAgAGYCYgBuzeSAQk0LTIuMi40LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3M
td2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=MVKOX43YK4_U0wTkq5jgCA&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc
=sBbNq_754HJiNM

Active and Inactive Fault

https://www.google.com/search?q=active+and+inactive+faults&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiZ_Ii
AmMLsAhUKDZQKHR37DWEQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=active+and+inactive+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgCMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgII
ADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoGCAAQBRAeOgUIABCxAzoHCAA
QsQMQQzoICAAQsQMQgwE6CggAELEDEIMBEENQjY4uWPbKLmDw5C5oAHAAeASAAaU
EiAHiJpIBDDAuMTkuMi4xLjIuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nsAEAwAEB&sclient=img
&ei=61OOX9naFoqa0ASd9reIBg&bih=640&biw=1315#imgrc=ir3_bhVmVVM05M

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Printed in the Philippines by: Department of Education – Division of Cebu City

Office Address : New Imus Avenue, Barangay Day-as, Cebu City
Telephone Nos. : (032) 2551516
E-mail Address : cebu.city@deped.gov.ph

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