S-waves can only move through solids
. This is because liquids and gases don’t resist changing shape. P-waves and S-waves are the two types of body waves.
Where do secondary seismic waves travel?
Secondary waves
S-waves can travel only
through solids
, as fluids (liquids and gases) do not support shear stresses. S-waves are slower than P-waves, and speeds are typically around 60% of that of P-waves in any given material.
What can secondary seismic waves pass through?
S waves are called secondary waves because they always arrive after P waves at seismic recording stations. Unlike P waves, S waves can travel only through
solid materials
.
Which seismic waves can travel through solids only?
S-waves
can travel only through solids, because only solids have rigidity. S-waves cannot travel through liquids or gases.
What kind of seismic waves can travel through solids and liquids?
In a
P wave
, the rock particles are alternately squished together and pulled apart (called compressions and dilatations), so P waves are also called compressional waves. These waves can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.
Why do P waves travel through solids and liquids?
P-waves travel through liquids and gases as well as through solids.
Although liquids and gases have zero rigidity, they have compressibility, which enables them to transmit P-waves
.
What are secondary seismic waves?
Secondary waves
cause the rocks they pass through to change in shape
. These waves are the second fastest traveling seismic waves (after primary waves) and can travel through solids but not through liquids or gases. Also called shear wave S wave See Note at earthquake.
What seismic wave can travel through Earth?
The two main types of waves are
body waves
and surface waves. Body waves can travel through the Earth’s inner layers, but surface waves can only move along the surface of the planet like ripples on water. Earthquakes send out seismic energy as both body and surface waves.
How far can seismic waves travel?
In the Earth, P waves travel at speeds from about 6 km (3.7 miles) per second in surface rock to about 10.4 km (6.5 miles) per second near the Earth’s core some
2,900 km (1,800 miles) below the surface
.
Which seismic wave refracts and Cannot penetrate the core?
The seismic waves that get refracted and cannot pass through the core of the Earth are:
S-waves
.
What happens to primary waves when they pass from liquids into solids?
When P waves pass from solid to liquid, then from liquid to solid, there are sudden changes in direction – they are
reflected and refracted
. Seismic waves are also reflected and refracted as they pass into different rock types.
Why can transverse waves only travel through solids?
This is because
solids possess rigidity which expresses their ability to resist change in shape
. Solids can retain their shape and so they support transverse waves.
Why do longitudinal waves travel faster in solids?
Sound travels fastest through solids. This is because
molecules in a solid medium are much closer together than those in a liquid or gas
, allowing sound waves to travel more quickly through it.
How do secondary waves move?
It forces the ground to move backwards and forwards as it is compressed and expanded. The S-wave (secondary or shear wave) follows more slowly, with
a swaying, rolling motion that shakes the ground back and forth perpendicular to the direction of the wave
.
What is the main features of the secondary waves?
Secondary waves are also called S waves. As they pass through a material, the material’s particles are shaken up and down or from side to side. Secondary waves
rock small buildings back and forth as they pass. Secondary waves can travel through rock, but unlike primary waves they cannot travel through liquids or gases
.
What is characteristic of secondary waves?
Secondary , or S waves,
travel slower than P waves
and are also called “shear” waves because they don’t change the volume of the material through which they propagate, they shear it.
