How do you find the epicenter of an earthquake?
The earthquake epicenter is the point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus. This is where the shaking is concentrated and usually the most damage is done. Geologists use seismic wave charts to determine the earthquake epicenter. Find the P and S wave arrival times using the seismic chart. The p-wave will be the first large spike on the seismic chart, the s wave will be the second large spike on the seismic chart. Find the difference in time between the p and s wave arrivals. For instance, if the p wave arrived at 10:23:00 a.m. and the s wave arrived at 10:26.22 a.m., the difference in arrival times is 3 minutes, 22 seconds. Line up the edge of your paper with the y-axis of the time travel graph. Make a small line on the paper where the origin touches the graph. Make a second line on the paper where the difference in arrival times touches the graph. In the case of our example, we would place a small line on our paper where 0 touches and where 3 minutes 22 seconds touches. Sli
