Working in small groups of 3-4, students design and construct a seismograph using common household and craft materials provided. Students will demonstrate to the class (by shaking their table) how their seismographs records ground motion and if possible, the time of the disturbance occured.
Students will be able to:
Animation of the principles of a drum-style horizontal seismograph station that records back- and-forth (N-S, E-W) movement.
Seismic waves travel through the earth to a single seismic station. Scale and movement of the seismic station are greatly exaggerated to depict the relative motion recorded by the seismogram as P, S, and surface waves arrive.
We use exaggerated motion of a building (seismic station) to show how the ground moves during an earthquake, and why it is important to measure seismic waves using 3 components: vertical, N-S, and E-W. Before showing an actual distant earthquake, we break down the three axes of movement to clarify the 3 seismograms.
Animation of the principles of a drum-style horizontal seismograph station that records back- and-forth (N-S, E-W) movement.
A seismograph is a device for measuring the movement of the earth, and consists of a ground-motion detection sensor, called a seismometer, coupled with a recording system. This fact sheet provides an overview of the basic components of a seismometer and physical science principles behind its operation.
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