Lab 2: Seismic Waves

NAME: Ishtiaque Anwar

Due Friday, February 10 Applied and Environmental Geophysics

LAB 2: SEISMIC WAVES

EARTHQUAKE WAVE SIMULATION AND SEISMIC WAVE TYPES
We've talked in class about particle motion in a wave occurring in three dimensions, but to facilitate data
collection, transfer, and presentation, seismologists need to be able to represent this 3-D motion on a flat
sheet of paper. One of the difficult aspects of studying seismology for the first time is trying to familiarize
yourself with what different waves look like in this two dimensional representation. Use this lab to get familiar
with what types/sizes of movements that cause different shapes and amplitudes of seismic waves and what
these waves look like on a 3-trace plot.

This lab uses an application called iSeismometer for the wave recording. Modern smart phones have a built in
accelerometer that can record motions. They build this into the motherboard so that if it is dropped, the hard
drive will stop spinning and minimize damage caused on impact. Pretty neat. However, this means that you
will be moving your phone to simulate waves. PLEASE try to curb your enthusiasm when you discover the
beauty of wave motion and take care. No meteor impact simulations, please. 

Answer the following questions in groups or on your own. Everyone will turn in an individual lab—I will choose
a subset of questions for grading.

Part I: Building Your Experience with Waves

Install the iSeismometer app and consider these questions. You can use the website, iSeismomter.com to
help:

1. Are we actually recording displacement on this graph? Describe how we would mathematically
compute displacement from the graph we record.

Answer: No, we are recording acceleration using iSeismometer. We can compute displacement from
recorded acceleration and frequency.

2. What are the units?

Answer: Unit of acceleration is ‘ms-2 ‘

And Unit of frequency is ‘Hz’

3. What is g?

Answer: The acceleration in iSeismometer, reported as a fraction of the gravitational acceleration at

Earth's surface, which we call "g" and which is about 980 cm/s2.

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Lab 2: Seismic Waves
NAME: Ishtiaque Anwar
Due Friday, February 10 Applied and Environmental Geophysics

4. What do the x/y/z axes represent?

Answer:

X-axis: Radial

Y-axis: Transverse

Z-axis: Vertical

5. Turn off the high-pass filter. How does the display output change? Why?

Answer: The major purpose of high pass filter is to extract accelerated motion without gravity. Hence by
turning the filter off, the data/ value is predominantly based on orientation of device. And the values
are comparatively larger.

6. Change the sampling rate. How does the display output change? Why?

Answer: For lower sampling rate, the seismometer becomes less sensitive and will capture signal
variation at each sampling point (distantly spaced), resulting low resolution data. In contrast, the high
frequency sampling provides high resolution data and can often records unwanted undulations if not
handled carefully.

7. Now try to simulate an S-wave traveling vertically up to the ground surface underneath the computer.
First, think about the particle motion you would expect from such a wave (remember the slinky). What
does the graph look like (comment on x, y and z)? Explain your observation and describe how you would
use this information to identify an S-wave on a seismogram. Try a different orientation for the particle
motion. How does the seismogram change? Can you isolate the motion on one axis?

Answer: Based on particle motion, we can simulate S-wave or shear wave by moving the smart phone
(with iSeismometer) perpendicular to wave direction. We have encountered acceleration along the X and
Y direction, and the response along Z direction was negligible. This response can be used to identify S-
wave from other seismic waves (on a seismogram). Changing the orientation of particle motion in
laboratory (i.e the orientation of the iSeismometer) will alter the direction of wave propagation and the
response in all three axes accordingly.

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Lab 2: Seismic Waves
NAME: Ishtiaque Anwar
Due Friday, February 10 Applied and Environmental Geophysics
8. Next, simulate a P-wave traveling vertically up to the ground surface underneath the computer. What
does the graph look like (comment on x, y and z)? Explain your observation and describe how you would
use this information to identify an P-wave on a seismogram. How does the seismogram change when you
push down first compared to if you push up?

Answer: Based on particle motion, we can simulate P-wave or primary wave by moving the smart phone
(with iSeismometer) along the direction of wave.
We have encountered substantial acceleration along the Z direction, and the response along X and Y
direction were negligible. This response can be used to identify P-wave from other seismic waves (on a
seismogram).
Change in the initial motion will not change any parameters of the seismogram but it changes the sign
(mirror image of the original graph)

9. Can you change the frequency of the waves on the seismogram? The amplitude of the waves? Describe
how you do this physically.

Answer: By changing the velocity of the device motion, we can change the frequency of the wave. Which
will eventually change the amplitude of wave signal captured.

10. Finally, try and simulate a Rayleigh wave. How does the wavelength compare to the P and S waves
you simulated?

Answer: In Laboratory, Rayleigh wave can be simulated by moving the device (with iSeismometer) up and
down in a retrograde elliptical pattern. We have encountered substantial acceleration along the X and Z
direction, and the response along Y direction was comparatively less. The observed response (amplitude
of acceleration) was substantially relatively higher than S wave or P wave.

And the wavelength of Rayleigh wave was relatively larger than the other major body waves (P-wave & S-
wave).

Part II: Applying Your Experience

1. Now you're a seismologist with experience! Label the major wave first arrivals (or "picks") on the Study
the seismograms on the next page. Assume all body waves are traveling (almost) vertically up from
underneath the seismometer; think critically about which direction surface waves will be traveling,
relative to the surface. Label all S, P, Rayleigh, and Love waves that you see (not all seismograms may
contain all four waves). In a short explanation, state your reasoning for your choices. Remember, you can

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Lab 2: Seismic Waves
NAME: Ishtiaque Anwar
Due Friday, February 10 Applied and Environmental Geophysics
use what you have learned about travel times *and* particle motion for the different waves to help with
your interpretation.

Answer: From the seismograph data the following major wave can be identified, body waves and surface
waves. Body waves can be divided into p-wave and S-wave. Surface waves can be classified into Rayleigh
wave and Love wave.

Since body wave reaches before surface wave, first part of seismograph must be body wave signal (P-
wave & S-wave). Again, due to particle motion and propagation mechanism, velocity of P-wave is higher
than S-wave. Therefore, in the given seismograph, first major wave signal should be p-wave followed by
the detection of S-wave. For P wave, the acceleration response is higher in vertical axis. After P-wave,
presence of p-p wave can be detected in vertical and radial graph. This is called the reflection of p-wave
in the mantle.

Right after P-wave, S-wave is encountered with signal responses in both vertical and radial axis. After S-
wave, the presence of S-P wave can be seen in radial and vertical graph because of its dual component of
compressional and up-down movement. When S-wave reflects from outer core and becomes P-wave,
then S-P wave is generated, followed by S-S wave, S-P-K wave.

The presence of love wave is observed, after S- wave. This wave is polarized S-wave and hence can only
be picked up by the transverse axis. After love wave, Rayleigh wave is encountered in radial and vertical
axis. This is because Rayleigh wave travels as an elliptical pattern. Presence of Rayleigh wave can also be
detected by the transverse graph, but with relatively lower amplitude.

After Rayleigh wave, some unidentified wave signal is observed. These may be reflection of surface waves
or it can be certain kind of aftershock.

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Lab 2: Seismic Waves
NAME: Ishtiaque Anwar
Due Friday, February 10 Applied and Environmental Geophysics

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Lab 2: Seismic Waves
NAME: Ishtiaque Anwar
Due Friday, February 10 Applied and Environmental Geophysics
2. Your annoying little brother thinks he's the king of math because he's taking algebra. As you were
studiously studying your geophysics books last night, he spied the following graph and the equations
you were copying out of your book. "A-hah!" he says, "Your book's equations are wrong. That graph
shows V increasing with ρ, but your equation has ρ in the denominator, and I know that means that V
should decrease with ρ." Do you agree with your brother, or with the author? Why?

k + 4 /3m
VP =
r

m
VS =
r
Answer: When density changes, it implies that the material property is also changing. Changing material
means change in bulk modulus (k) and shear modulus (μ). And the change in Shear modulus in not linear
with density. As a result, the overall term inside the square root increases with increase in density,
causing velocity increase.

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