Question
Primary waves (P-waves) travel secondary waves (S-waves).
Answers
GPT-4o mini
P-waves (Primary waves) are the fastest type of seismic waves generated by earthquakes. They are compressional waves, meaning they move through the Earth by compressing and decompressing the material in the direction of wave travel. P-waves can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.
On the other hand, S-waves (Secondary waves) are slower than P-waves and move in a shearing motion, which means they cause the ground to move perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. S-waves can only move through solids and do not travel through liquids or gases.
Because P-waves travel faster than S-waves, they arrive first at a seismograph station following an earthquake, allowing seismologists to determine the location and intensity of the seismic event.
On the other hand, S-waves (Secondary waves) are slower than P-waves and move in a shearing motion, which means they cause the ground to move perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. S-waves can only move through solids and do not travel through liquids or gases.
Because P-waves travel faster than S-waves, they arrive first at a seismograph station following an earthquake, allowing seismologists to determine the location and intensity of the seismic event.