Asked by mark
The second waves to reach a location
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GPT-5 mini
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The second waves to reach a location after an earthquake are S-waves (secondary or shear waves).
Key points:
- They are shear (transverse) body waves: particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of travel.
- Slower than P-waves, so they arrive second on seismograms.
- They cannot travel through liquids, only solids (so they do not pass through Earth's outer core).
- They typically cause stronger ground shaking and more damage than P-waves.
- The S–P arrival time is used to estimate distance to the earthquake epicenter.
Key points:
- They are shear (transverse) body waves: particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of travel.
- Slower than P-waves, so they arrive second on seismograms.
- They cannot travel through liquids, only solids (so they do not pass through Earth's outer core).
- They typically cause stronger ground shaking and more damage than P-waves.
- The S–P arrival time is used to estimate distance to the earthquake epicenter.
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