What does a time distance graph of seismic waves show?

A travel time curve is a graph of the time that it takes for seismic waves to travel from the epicenter of an earthquake to seismograph stations at varying distances away. The velocity of seismic waves through different materials yield information about Earth’s deep interior.

How can you use a graph of earthquake waves travel distance and time to find the epicenter?

Finding the Distance to the Epicenter

1. Measure the distance between the first P wave and the first S wave.
2. Find the point for 24 seconds on the left side of the chart of simplified S and P travel time curves and mark that point.
3. Measure the amplitude of the strongest wave.

What is the order of seismic waves from fastest to slowest?

Thus, if we look at a seismogram, we expect to see the first wave to arrive to be a P-wave (the fastest), then the S-wave, and finally, the Love and Rayleigh (the slowest) waves.

How is the timing of seismic waves in an earthquake determined?

The distance of the seismic recording station from the earthquake epicenter is determined from the time difference between the first arrival of the P-wave and the S-wave. This is known as the S-P interval.

What does a lag time graph determine about an earthquake?

The longer the lag time between the arrive of the P waves and the S waves… Scientists consult a lag time graph to determine how far an earthquake occurred from… A lag-time graph translates the difference in arrival times of the P waves and the S waves into distance from the epicenter to…

Which earthquake waves move the fastest?

P waves travel fastest and are the first to arrive from the earthquake. In S or shear waves, rock oscillates perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. In rock, S waves generally travel about 60% the speed of P waves, and the S wave always arrives after the P wave.

Which of the 3 seismic waves traveled the slowest?

L-waves or surface waves are the slowest. It travels from the focus directly upward to the epicenter. Though it is the slowest it causes more of the damage during earthquake because it moves the earth up and down like waves in an ocean that causes the earth to bend and twist.

How does displacement vary with distance and time?

With a wave like you can see that the displacement (y) varies with distance (x) from some origin, but it does not vary with time. The the displacement-distance graph would be a sine wave, while the displacement-time graph (for each value of x) is a horizontal line.

How do you find the displacement time graph of a wave?

With a wave like y = Asinkx you can see that the displacement (y) varies with distance (x) from some origin, but it does not vary with time. The the displacement-distance graph would be a sine wave, while the displacement-time graph (for each value of x) is a horizontal line. More generally: you draw a displacement time graph…

What is a displacement – distance graph?

A Displacement – Distance graph shows the position of each particle in a wave relative to its distance from a reference point. The distance between two (2) successive crest or trough is the wavelength.