Students compare P waves, S waves and surface waves by type, speed and the materials they travel through, then use travel times and the lag between P and S waves to calculate the distance from a seismic station to an earthquake's epicentre. They explain how three stations locate the epicentre by triangulation, how seismic waves revealed Earth's liquid outer core, and what the magnitude scale tells us about earthquake size.
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Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.
Completed: Seismic Waves: P Waves, S Waves and Locating an Earthquake
Year 9 students (typically ages 14–15) working on earth, rocks & weather. It is pitched at level 3 · challenge; an easier version is linked above.
Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.
About 45 minutes for 15 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.
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Try The Carbon Cycle and the Greenhouse Effect.
Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 9 · Science · Earth, Rocks & WeatherName
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distance = speed × time; for the S–P lag with these speeds, distance (km) = 8 × lag (s).
An earthquake happens when stress builds up in rocks, usually at plate boundaries, until they suddenly break and move. Energy spreads out from the focus as seismic waves, which are recorded by instruments called seismometers.
P waves are longitudinal (they push and pull the rock) and are the fastest. S waves are transverse (they shake the rock side to side) and cannot travel through liquids. Surface waves are the slowest but have the largest movements.
Use these simplified speeds through the crust: P waves 8 km/s and S waves 4 km/s. time = distance ÷ speed.
Because P waves travel twice as fast, every 8 km of distance adds 1 s to the lag between the arrival of the P and S waves: distance (km) = 8 × lag time (s).
Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.
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Worksheet · Year 8 · Earth, Rocks & Weather · Level 2 · Standard
Worksheet · Year 8 · Earth, Rocks & Weather · Level 2 · Standard
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