Abstract:
Virtual Earthquake is an interactive tutorial that helps students understand how the epicenters of earthquakes are located from seismograms and how their Richter magnitudes are determined. (This is the original "VEQ." A new version using Java applets and JavaScripts is under development.))
Virtual Earthquake is an interactive Web-based program designed to introduce you to the concepts of how an
... earthquake EPICENTER is located and how the RICHTER MAGNITUDE of an earthquake is determined. The Virtual Earthquake computer program is running on a Web Server at California State University at Los Angeles. You can interact with Virtual Earthquake using your Web browser.
Virtual Earthquake will show you the recordings of an earthquake's seismic waves detected by instruments far away from the earthquake. The instrument recording the seismic waves is called a seismograph and the recording is a seismogram. The point of origin of an earthquake is called its focus and the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus is the epicenter. You are to locate the epicenter of an earthquake by making simple measurements on three seismograms that will be sent to you by the Virtual Earthquake program. Additionally, you will be required to determine the Richter Magnitude of that quake from the same recordings. Richter Magnitude is an estimate of the amount of energy released during and earthquake.
Upon completion of this activity you will be given the opportunity to receive a personalized Certificate as a "Virtual Seismologist." 
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