Seismology

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

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/seismology

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 device?Seismographs are instruments used to detect and record ground motion, generating seismograms
2. What is the related field?Paleoseismology uses geological evidence to study past earthquakes
3. How do scientists find out where an earthquake happened?Seismologists use seismographs to record the waves from an earthquake. By comparing the times the waves arrive at different stations, they can pinpoint the earthquake’s location and how strong it was.
4. Why do earthquakes make the ground shake?Earthquakes happen when the Earth’s plates move and release built‑up stress. The sudden slip sends out waves that make the ground shake.

Elastic Rebound Theory: The theory explaining earthquake generation through the sudden release of stored elastic strain energy in rocks.
Seismic Tomography: A technique using seismic wave travel times to create 3D images of Earth's interior.
Magnitude: A measure of the energy released by an earthquake, often quantified using scales like the Richter or Moment Magnitude scale.