Question

the s-p interval of seismic waves recorded at a seismometer is 8 minutes. the equation for determining this distance to the epicenter is s-p interval = 0.001613 × distance to epicenter. approximately how far away is the earthquake’s epicenter from the seismometer? less than 1 km 8 km 500 km 5,000 km

Explanation:

Step1: Rearrange the formula

Given $S - P\ interval=0.001613\times distance\ to\ epicenter$, we can solve for the distance to the epicenter. Let $d$ be the distance to the epicenter. Then $d=\frac{S - P\ interval}{0.001613}$.

Step2: Substitute the value of S - P interval

The $S - P$ interval is 8 minutes. Substituting into the formula, we have $d=\frac{8}{0.001613}$.

Step3: Calculate the value

$d=\frac{8}{0.001613}\approx4960$ km, which is approximately 5000 km.

Answer:

5,000 km