Earth Science Physical Setting (3rd Edition) P.71-90

A major earthquake occurs in California. It is recorded by a seismograph in Buffalo, NY. Which kind of seismic waves arrive first in Buffalo, Ny? (Use ESRT!)

• Light waves

• Surface waves

• P-waves

• S-waves

If an earthquake were to occur at Binghamton, NY, which location would experience seismic waves first? (USE ESRT!)

• Buffalo, NY

• Ithaca, NY

• Albany, NY

• Massena, NY

The epicenter of an earthquake is 2000 km from your location. If you feel the first P-waves at exactly 2 P.M., when did the earthquake occur at the epicenter?

• 01:53 P.M.

• 01:56 P.M.

• 02:04 P.M.

• 02:07 P.M.

Base your answers to questions 4 through 7 on the diagram above, which shows a seismogram of a single earthquake recorded at Syracuse University in New York State.

When did the first P-wave arrive at Syracuse?

• 6 P.M.

• 30 seconds past 6 P.M.

• 6:01 P.M.

• 1.5 minutes past 6 P.M.

How long after the arrival of P-waves did the S-waves arrive?

• 30 seconds

• 50 seconds

• 1 minute, 15 seconds

• 1 minute, 30 seconds

According to this seismogram, how did the S-waves differ from the P-waves?

• The S-waves arrive first

• The S-waves traveled faster

• The S-waves did not transmit energy

• The S-waves made the ground vibrate more

Approximately how far from Syracuse was the epicenter?

• 300 km

• 600 km

• 1000 km

• 1300 km

Base your answers to questions 8 through 12 on the diagrams above. The top diagram shows shows three seismograms from the same earthquake recorded at locations X, Y, and Z, The map below the seismograms show the plotted distance from each of these stations to the epicenter. A coordinate system but no scale is provided.

Approximately how far away from station Y is the epicenter?

• 1300 km

• 2600 km

• 3900 km

• 5200 km

Station Z is 1700 km from the epicenter. How long did it take the P-waves to travel to station Z?

• 1 min, 50 s

• 2 min, 50 s

• 3 min, 30 s

• 6 min, 30 s

What are the map coordinates of the epicenter?

• E-5

• G-1

• H-3

• H-8