Question

If an earthquake occurred 2400 km away from a seismic station, how long after the earthquake would the station detect the arrival of a P-wave travelling at 8000m/s?

A) 5 minutes
B) 3 minutes
C) 30 second
D) 5000 seconds

Answer 1

The seismic station would detect the arrival of the P-wave 300 seconds after the earthquake.

Step-by-step explanation:

The distance between the seismic station and the earthquake is 2400 km. The P-wave travels at a speed of 8000 m/s. To calculate the time it takes for the P-wave to reach the seismic station, we can use the formula:

Time = Distance / Speed

Plugging in the given values, we get:

Time = 2400000 m / 8000 m/s = 300 s

Therefore, the seismic station would detect the arrival of the P-wave 300 seconds after the earthquake.