Seismogram

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/seismogram

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the recording medium?Graphical representation of ground motion versus time
2. What is the dimensionality of measurement?Typically records motion along three orthogonal axes (vertical and two horizontal)
3. How do scientists use seismograms to find where an earthquake happened?Scientists compare seismograms from many stations to see where the waves started. This lets them find the earthquake’s epicenter and how deep it happened.
4. Why do seismograms show waves from things like volcanoes and mining?Things that shake the Earth, like volcanoes, mining explosions, or even traffic, make the ground move. A seismograph records all of these motions, so the seismogram shows waves from many different sources.

Seismograph: An instrument designed to detect, measure, and record seismic waves and ground motion.
Seismic Waves: Elastic waves propagating through the Earth, generated by seismic sources.
Hypocenter: The point within the Earth where an earthquake rupture originates.
Magnitude: A quantitative measure of the energy released by an earthquake, often expressed on scales like the Richter or moment magnitude scale.