Mondo Knows Facts
Primary seismic waves travel faster through rock than secondary waves
Compressional P waves move through solid and liquid while shear S waves pass only through solid
Earthquakes produce seismic body waves that travel deep through the planet. Primary compressional P waves move fastest by pushing and pulling rock in the direction of travel, and can propagate through both solids and liquids. Secondary shear S waves move rock side to side at slower speeds and cannot pass through liquids, proving Earth's outer core is liquid.
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Tags: earth science, seismology, earthquakes
Primary seismic waves travel faster through rock than secondary waves: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Compressional P waves move through solid and liquid while shear S waves pass only through solid. The figure is taken from USGS, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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