Earthquake P and S Travel Time

Multiple Choice

Base your answer on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The diagram represents a cut-away view of Earth's interior and the paths of some of the seismic waves produced by an earthquake that originated below Earth's surface. Points A, B, and C represent seismic stations on Earth's surface. Point D represents a location at the boundary between the core and the mantle.

Seismic station A is 5000 kilometers from the epicenter. What is the difference between the arrival time of the first P-wave and the arrival time of the first S-wave recorded at this station?

• 2 minutes and 20 seconds

• 6 minutes and 40 seconds

• 8 minutes and 20 seconds

• 15 minutes and 00 seconds

Multiple Choice

The first P-wave of an earthquake took 11 minutes to travel to a seismic station from the epicenter of the earthquake. What is the seismic station's distance to the epicenter of the earthquake and how long did it take for the first S-wave to travel that distance?

• Distance to epicenter: 3350 km

  S-wave travel time: 4 min 50 sec

• Distance to epicenter: 3350 km

  S-wave travel time: 6 min 10 sec

• Distance to epicenter: 7600 km

  S-wave travel time: 9 min

• Distance to epicenter: 7600 km

  S-wave travel time: 20 min

Multiple Choice

What is the approximate P-wave travel time from an earthquake if the P-wave arrives at the seismic station 8 minutes before the S-wave?

• 4 minutes 20 seconds

• 6 minutes 30 seconds

• 10 minutes 0 seconds

• 11 minutes 20 seconds

Multiple Choice

The distance from the epicenter of the March 1964 earthquake to Crescent City is 2600 kilometers. How long did it take the first P-wave to reach Crescent City?

• 3 minutes 20 seconds

• 4 minutes 10 seconds

• 5 minutes 0 seconds

• 9 minutes 10 seconds

Multiple Choice

A seismic station that is 4000 kilometers from the epicenter of an earthquake records the arrival time of the first P-wave at 10:00:00 (hours: minutes: seconds). At what time did the first S-wave arrive at this station?

• 9:54:20

• 10:05:40

• 10:07:05

• 10:12:40

Multiple Choice

The first S-wave reaches a seismic station 22 minutes after an earthquake occurred. How long did it take the first P-wave to reach the same seismic station?

• 8 minutes 50 seconds

• 10 minutes 00 seconds

• 12 minutes 00 seconds

• 12 minutes 50 seconds

Multiple Choice

If it takes a P-wave five minutes to travel from the epicenter of an earthquake to a seismic station, approximately how long will it take an S-wave to travel that same distance?

• 15 minutes

• 12 minutes

• 9 minutes

• 4 minutes

Multiple Choice

An earthquake occurs at 10:05 a.m. At 10:09 a.m., the first P-wave from this earthquake is detected at a seismic station. Approximately how many kilometers (km) from the epicenter is this seismic station located?

• 1000 km

• 2000 km

• 2600 km

• 5600 km

Multiple Choice

Base your answer to the next question on the seismogram below. The seismogram was recorded at a seismic station and shows the arrival times of the first P-wave and S-wave from an earthquake.

Which part of this seismogram is used to find the distance to the epicenter of the earthquake?

• P-wave arrival time, only

• S-wave arrival time, only

• difference in the arrival time of the P-wave and S-wave

• difference in the height of the P-wave and S-wave

Multiple Choice

The first P-wave of an earthquake travels 5600 kilometers from the epicenter and arrives at a seismic station at 10:05 a.m. At what time did this earthquake occur?

• 9:49 a.m

• 9:56 a.m

• 10:02 a.m

• 10:14 a.m