The diagram below is a cross-section through the Earth. The black and white rays represent the paths of P-waves and S-waves respectively as they travel through the Earth from an earthquake epicenter. Examine the diagram, then answer the question that follows.

Question

The diagram below is a cross-section through the Earth. The black and white rays represent the paths of P-waves and S-waves respectively as they travel through the Earth from an earthquake epicenter. Examine the diagram, then answer the question that follows.

The paths shown for S-waves represent direct paths. What can scientists infer from examining these direct paths of S waves and the S-wave shadow zone?
A.
Earth has a solid core.
B.
Earth has a liquid layer.
C.
Earth has a fractured crust.
D.
Earth has a thin crust

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1 answer
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Answer 1

Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
19 hours ago

The correct inference from examining direct paths of S-waves and the S-wave shadow zone is:

**B. Earth has a liquid layer.**

S-waves (shear waves) cannot travel through liquids, so the presence of an S-wave shadow zone (where S-waves do not reach) indicates that there is a liquid layer within the Earth, specifically the outer core. This absence of S-wave propagation supports the understanding that the outer core is liquid.