To find the distance to the earthquake, we can use the formula:
Distance = Speed × Time
We know that the speed of the P wave (longitudinal wave) is 7274.0 m/s, and the speed of the S wave (transverse wave) is 3803.0 m/s.
Let's convert the time delay of the S wave arrival from minutes to seconds. There are 60 seconds in a minute, so:
Time delay = 4.47 min × 60 s/min = 268.2 s
Now we can calculate the distance using the formula for each wave:
Distance P = Speed P × Time delay
Distance S = Speed S × Time delay
Plugging in the values:
Distance P = 7274.0 m/s × 268.2 s = 1952374.8 m
Distance S = 3803.0 m/s × 268.2 s = 1019834.6 m
Since the seismic waves travel in a straight line, the total distance to the earthquake is the sum of the distances traveled by each wave:
Total distance = Distance P + Distance S
Total distance = 1952374.8 m + 1019834.6 m = 2972209.4 m
Therefore, the earthquake was approximately 2,972,209.4 meters away.