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How do I Determine the Actual Time of an Earthquake Occurrence in UTC?

Earthquakes occur over a large portion of the world. Seismologists calculate where the epicenter was by using seismometers. They also want to know where the earthquake took place, and the depth at which it occurred. This means how deep it was into the earth's crust. Scientists measure the time an earthquake took place in UTC or Coordinated Universal Time, formally known as Greenwich Mean Time. Based on the 24-hour clock, UTC converts to Standard Time or Daylight Savings Time by time zones throughout the world.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Pick a time zone to calculate UTC .
  
  Pick a time zone to convert to UTC. Each time zone converts differently by subtracting or adding a certain amount of hours from local time. Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time will differ by one hour.
- 2
  
  Add or subtract the correct amount of hours to determine UTC.
  
  Calculate your time zone by subtracting or adding the correct amount of hours from your local time. The time zones include the following, Guam, +10 Hawaii, -10, Alaska -nine, Pacific Standard Time -eight, Mountain Standard Time -seven, Central Standard Time -six, Eastern Standard Time -five and Atlantic Standard Time -four.
- 3
  
  Check the United States Geological Survey for a list of recent earthquakes.
  
  Check the United States Geological Survey website for recent earthquakes and their UTC times. Calculate using the conversion formula to find what your local time the earthquake occurred.
- 4
  
  Check for earthquakes around the world.
  
  Practice your skills in converting UTC to local time zones by checking for recent earthquakes around the world. United States Geological Survey also has a reporting service where you can inform it of any earthquakes you have felt.

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