Asked by des
Why does Earth's core not show S-waves in the diagram?
Earth's outer core is liquid.
Earth's inner core is solid.
Earth's outer core is solid.
Earth's inner core is liquid.
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Earth's outer core is liquid.
S-waves are shear (transverse) waves and require a material that can support shear stress. Liquids cannot support shear, so S-waves cannot travel through the liquid outer core — hence they are absent in the diagram. (The inner core is solid, but S-waves from the mantle cannot reach it because the liquid outer core blocks them; only converted or refracted phases can bring shear energy into the inner core.)
S-waves are shear (transverse) waves and require a material that can support shear stress. Liquids cannot support shear, so S-waves cannot travel through the liquid outer core — hence they are absent in the diagram. (The inner core is solid, but S-waves from the mantle cannot reach it because the liquid outer core blocks them; only converted or refracted phases can bring shear energy into the inner core.)
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