6.3.7

Uses of Sound Waves: Earthquakes

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Earthquakes

Seismic waves are waves which travel through the Earth. Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves:

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P-waves (primary)

  • These are longitudinal, seismic waves.
  • P-waves travel at different speeds through solids and liquids.
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S-waves (secondary)

  • These are transverse, seismic waves.
  • S-waves cannot travel through liquids (only through solids).
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Uses of seismic waves

  • Seismic waves cannot travel through all parts of the earth because the earth is made up of different materials.
  • Scientists have used this principle to work out the different materials that the earth is made up of.
  • By detecting seismic waves from Earthquakes, scientists have worked out that the Earth has a solid core surrounded by a liquid outer core.
    • A mantle of changing density surrounds the Earth’s core. This mantle causes the refraction of the seismic waves.

Jump to other topics

1Energy

2Electricity

3Particle Model of Matter

4Atoms & Radiation

5Forces

5.1Basics of Motion

5.2Forces

5.3Effects of Forces

5.4Pressure

6Waves

7Magnetism

8Astrophysics

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