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Science
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
Earthquake Waves

CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here
to help you to master earthquake waves. The scope of this module
permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language
used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are
arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in
which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook
you are now using. This module contains:

• Lesson 1- Seismic Waves

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the different types of seismic waves;

2. recognize the motions caused by the different types of seismic

waves;

3. describe the different characteristics of the earth’s layers that

can be travelled by seismic waves; and

4. explain how earthquake waves provide information about the

interior of the earth. (Week 3, S8ES-IIc-17)

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
What I Know

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What is the main cause of seismic waves?

A. earthquake C. traffic
B. thunder D. volcano

2. What type of wave is P wave?

A. electromagnetic C. transverse
B. longitudinal D. ultrasonic

3. Why is there an abrupt change in the speed of seismic waves as they

travel inside the Earth? It is because seismic waves are ___________.
A. colliding
B. overtaking the compressional waves
C. passing through a material with the same density
D. going into a material with different properties and densities

4. Which of the following waves travel the fastest and are detected first
in the seismic station?
A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface

5. Which kind of waves does NOT travel through a liquid?

A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface

6. What type of seismic waves that are responsible for a destructive

earthquake?
A. love
B. primary
C. secondary
D. surface

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
7. How do rock particles move during the passage of primary waves?
A. no motion
B. in circular motion
C. back and forth parallel to the direction of the waves
D. back and forth perpendicular to the direction of the waves

8. If P wave passes through solid to liquid media, what will happen to

its velocity?
A. increases
B. decreases
C. speeds up
D. stays the same

9. What consist of a body wave?

A. primary and Love waves
B. surface and primary waves
C. secondary and surface waves
D. primary and secondary waves

10. What is the most destructive seismic wave?

A. primary
B. secondary
C. shear
D. surface

11. Which statement is correct?

A. S waves are slower than P waves.
B. P waves are slower than S waves.
C. P waves have the same speed as the S waves.
D. It is not possible to record the speed of S and P waves.

12. In which media can primary waves travel?

A. both liquids and solids
B. in liquids but not in solids
C. in solids but not in liquids
D. neither in solids nor in liquids

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
13. Which statement is true about P and S waves?
A. P waves and S waves are the same.
B. P waves are the slower waves that arrive second at the seismic
station after S waves.
C. P waves are the fastest waves that arrive first at the seismic
station before S waves.
D. P waves are the primary waves that move side to side as they
travel from the earthquakes focus.

14. What type of seismic waves that can travel through crust?
A. body
B. primary
C. secondary
D. surface

15. Which of the following statements best describes the outer core?
A. The outer core is thought to be liquid.
B. P waves do not travel through the outer core.
C. P waves and S waves can travel through the outer core.
D. P waves travel through the outer core at a higher velocity than S
waves.

Lesson
Seismic Waves
1
You can see a light wave refracting from surfaces or reflecting from
mirrors. You can also notice how a still water produces waves once
dipped by a finger. This wave is a motion that propagates up and down
or side to side and can be diverted by different media it travels. Waves
are all around us, and the Earth produces waves as well.
What are the different types of seismic waves that occur inside the
Earth and how do they propagate? Do their propagation change as they
pass through the different layers of the Earth? What are the implications
of these behaviors in describing the interior of the Earth? Read the
module and answer the activities to find out!

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
What’s In

Activity 1. Quake-events
Directions: Rearrange the events in the order of their occurrence using
the numbers 1 to 6. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Events Order

A. The rock underground suddenly breaks along a

fault.

B. Sudden release of energy causes the seismic

waves that make the ground shake.

C. When two blocks of rocks or two plates are

rubbing against each other, they stick a little.

D. The rocks are still pushing against each other

but not moving.

E. When rock breaks, earthquake occurs.

F. The rock breaks because of pressure that builds

up.

What’s New
Activity 2. When the Land Moves
Directions: Read the short story on the next page and answer the
questions that follow. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Questions:
1. What are the common observations that an earthquake is likely to
happen?
_________________________________________________________________

2. What do you think is the reason of this occurrence?

_____________________

Rubric

4 Answer is well-organized and completely explained the

details.
3 Answer is organized and some details are explained.
2 Answer is not organized and details are unclear.
1 Answer does not make sense and shows no details.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
What is It

Earthquake is the shaking of the Earth crust that occurs naturally

or by human activities. This is also part of the geological processes that
result to the formation of oceans, valleys, mountains, and plains. Over
the last 100 years, scientists have learned a great deal about these
processes, causes, measures, and occurrences of an earthquake. By
studying earthquake, scientists were able to discover more about the
Earth.

What causes Earthquake?

An earthquake occurs because of
geologic forces inside the Earth. These
inner forces build up slowly and
eventually become so strong that may
cause underground rocks to break.
When this happens, tremendous
energy is released causing the ground to
move and shake. These waves of
energy travel through the Earth are
called seismic waves.
Seismic waves behave in different ways, depending on what they
encounter along the way.
Figure 1. The behavior of
seismic waves reveals what
the Earth looks like inside.
Illustrated by: Angelo Zaldy C. Francia
What are Seismic Waves?

Seismic waves are the waves of energy that travel either along or
near the Earth’s surface. This energy that travels through the Earth is
recorded by seismographs.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Types of Earthquake Waves

Body Waves
The body waves are seismic waves that travel through the interior
of the Earth. These waves are of higher frequency than surface waves.
The two types of body waves are primary and secondary waves.
Primary Waves
The first type of body waves are the P waves or primary waves.
These are the fastest kind of seismic waves, and consequently, the first
to arrive at a seismic station and recorded in the seismograph. The P
waves can move through solid rocks and fluids, like water or the liquid
layers of the Earth. They push and pull the rocks as they move through
just like the sound waves that push and pull the air.

P waves are also known as compressional or longitudinal

waves because of the pushing and pulling they do. P waves vibrate
parallel to the direction and travelling in a push-pull motion. Primary
waves can travel at a velocity of about 4 to 6 km/s depending on the
nature of the material it passes through.

Secondary Waves
The second type of body waves are the S waves or secondary
waves. These are waves that arrive second, after P waves are being
detected in the seismic station and recorded in the seismograph. S waves
are slower than P waves and can only move through solid rocks, not
through any liquid medium. This concludes that the Earth’s outer core
is liquid due to this property of the S wave. These waves move rock
particles up and down, or side-to-side perpendicular to the direction that
the waves are traveling in. S waves are also known as transverse or
shear waves, which create the shaking of the ground back and forth
perpendicular to the direction the waves are moving. S waves have a
velocity of 3 to 4 km/s.
Surface Waves
Surface waves travel only through the crust. These are of lower
frequency than body waves, and are easily distinguished on a
seismograph. Though they arrive after body waves, it is the surface waves
that are almost entirely responsible for the destruction associated with

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
earthquakes. There are two types of surface waves, the Love wave and
Rayleigh wave.

Love Waves

The first type of surface wave is called Love wave, named after
Augustus Edward Hough Love, a British mathematician who worked out
the mathematical model for this kind of wave in 1911. This wave is the
fastest surface wave and moves the ground from side-to-side. Love waves
produce entirely horizontal motion. It can travel a velocity of 4 km/s and
create more shaking.

Rayleigh Waves

The second type of surface wave is the Rayleigh wave, named after
John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh, a British scientist who predicted the
existence of this kind of wave in 1885. This wave rolls along the ground
just like a wave rolls across a lake or an ocean. It moves the ground side-
to-side and up and down in the same direction that the wave is moving.
Most of the trembling felt from an earthquake is due to the Rayleigh wave,
which can be much larger than the other waves.

What can seismic waves tell us?

The different types of seismic waves can tell us more about the
nature of the Earth’s interior.

For instance, seismologists use the seismic waves such as the P

waves and S waves to determine the distance from the source of an
earthquake by getting the direction and the difference in the time of
arrival of the waves. When the seismic waves travel deeper into the crust,
the quake will speed up. This means that at depth, the rocks are denser.
When it reaches the upper part of the mantle, the waves will slow down.
This means that the rocks are partially molten.

As the waves reach the core, one kind of seismic waves called the
secondary waves, will disappear thus, the outer core is liquid. At a certain
depth, the waves are reflected and refracted. This means that the Earth
must be layered.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
What’s More

Activity 3. Getting into Puzzle

Directions: Find the words in the puzzle from the list inside the box
and answer the questions that follow. Write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.

surface secondary P waves solid

primary
seismic wave S waves liquid
E A R H I S V T M S E C O N D A R Y M N
T G D F S E I S M I C W A V E D S A E C
E A S C H I K O C A S O H V H J K L D E
S U R F A C E L A S P W A V E S U O H F
H O I E W R F I T S A A V F E I O P I G
G E I A S E F D B D A R S L I Q U I D G
T G D F S E I S M I C W A V E D S A E C
P R I M A R Y I T S A A V F E I O P I G
H O I E W R F I T S S W A V E S S A E C

1. The ________________ wave is the fastest wave to travel.

2. The P waves can travel through _______________, liquids, and gases.

3. P waves are also known as ____________________ waves.

4. Secondary waves cannot travel through ___________________ and gases.

5. The ___________________ wave is the most destructive wave.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Activity 4. Let’s Talk About Waves

A. Directions: Read the paragraph and complete the table below. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Comparison of Different Types of Seismic Waves

Earthquake Also known Medium
Speed Motion
Waves as Travelled
A. Body waves
primary wave 1. 3. 5. push-pull
secondary S waves 4. solids 7.
wave
B. Surface
waves
Love wave 2. slowest 6. 8.

B. Directions: Write T if the statement is true and F if it is false.

_________1. The primary wave is the slowest wave among the seismic waves.
_________2. The secondary wave can travel through all states of matter.
_________3. The most destructive wave is the surface wave.
_________4. The primary wave is the first wave that can be detected.
_________5. The two types of surface waves are the primary waves and Love
waves.
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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Activity 5. Let’s Match It
A. Directions: Match the following types of seismic waves with their
corresponding types of motion.

1. primary waves A. side-by-side horizontal

2. secondary waves B. circular motion
3. surface waves C. up and down
D. push and pull
B. Directions: Identify each illustration as to what types of waves. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper. (Hint: arrows indicate its
movement.)

(a) (b)

1. __________________ 2. __________________

(c)

3. __________________

(a-c) Illustrated by: Victor Genesis O. Odtohan

Question:
Among the three types of waves, what is the most destructive? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Rubric

4 Answer is well-organized and completely explained the

details.
3 Answer is organized and some details are explained.
2 Answer is not organized and details are unclear.
1 Answer does not make sense and shows no details.

Activity 6. Perfect Match

A. Directions: Identify the types of seismic waves that travel inside the
Earth. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1.

2.

3.

Cross section of the Earth’s Interior

Directions: Match Column A with Column B and Column B with

Column C. Write the letters of the correct answers on a
separate sheet of paper.

A B C

Type of Wave Particle Motion Can travel through…

1. primary wave A. transverse D. surface of the Earth

horizontal motion only
travel in perpendicular
to the direction of
propagation

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
2. secondary B. alternating E. crust only
wave transverse motion
perpendicular to the
direction of
propagation
3. surface wave C. alternating F. crust, mantle and core
compression and
dilation in the same
direction as the wave
is propagating

What I Can Do
Activity 7. Let’s Think First
Directions: Below are possible situations during an earthquake. Choose
the letter of the appropriate action and write your answers on
a separate sheet of paper.
1. If you are outside of your house, move away from the buildings.
A I will do it.
B I will just run anywhere.

2. If you are inside your house, get cover under a table.

A I will do it.
B I will not do it.

3. If you are in a moving car, what will you say to the driver?
A Just keep driving.
B Please stop.
4. Drop to the ground and protect your head.
A I will do it.
B I will not think about it.
5. Prepare a disaster emergency kit beforehand.
A I will do it.
B I will not do it.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Assessment

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What wave causes earthquake to occur?

A. electromagnetic C. seismic
B. radio D. sound
2. What does P in a P wave stands for?
A. parallel C. perpendicular
B. partial D. primary

3. What kind of seismic wave arrives last at seismic station?

A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface

4. Which type of wave vibrates parallel to the direction and travels in a

push-pull motion?
A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface

5. Which of the following statements best describes primary wave?

A. It travels through a vacuum.
B. It causes rock particles to vibrate.
C. It is the slowest, largest and causes the most destruction.
D. It travels the fastest and causes rock material to move back and
forth.

6. Which type of seismic wave moves rock particles up and down, or

side-to- side perpendicular to the direction the waves are traveling
in?
A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface

7. What type of seismic wave is S wave?

A. electromagnetic C. transverse
B. longitudinal D. ultrasonic

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
8. Which type of seismic waves can travel through crust, mantle, and
core?
A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface
9. In which of the following media can secondary waves travel?
A. gases only C. liquids only
B. solids only D. solids, liquids and gases
10. Which of the following statement is NOT true about the secondary
wave?
A. S waves travel slower that P waves.
B. S waves can travel through solid rocks.
C. S waves move rock particles up and down.
D. S waves can travel both in solid rocks and in liquid medium.

11. What kind of waves can travel through a liquid?

A. love C. secondary
B. primary D. surface

12. Which describes the motion of Love wave?

A. circular motion
B. push and pull
C. side-to-side
D. D. up and down

13. Which correctly describes Rayleigh waves?

A. It can penetrate the outer and inner core.
B. It rolls along the ground like a wave rolls along the ocean.
C. It is faster than a Primary Wave.
D. It is faster than an S wave but slower than P wave.

14. What is the velocity of a surface wave?

A. 4 km/s C. 3 to 4 km/s
B. 5 km/s D. 3 to 5 km/s

15. Why do S waves travel in solids only?

A. Solids have enough shear strength.
B. Solids have minerals and properties.
C. Solids have particles closely packed together.
D. Solids have rigid structure and resistant to the force applied.

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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
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CO_Q2_Science 8_ Module 3
Do not
forget to
answer this
part. It will
be checked
and
recorded by
the subject
teacher.