Seismic waves

• what natural event causes seismic waves to be produce what types are produced

  . earthquakes

  . they produce surface waves, P and S waves
• difference between P and S waves

  . P waves travel through both solids and liquids

  . S waves only travel solids
• are S waves transverse or longitudinal

  transverse
• are P waves transverse or longitudinal

  longitudinal
• are surface waves transverse or longitudinal

  transverse
• are S waves faster or slower than P waves

  Slower
• how do seismometer stations determine the location of earthquake epicenters

  the station detects the seismic P and S waves ad measure the time differential, which is used to calculate the distance they have travelled
• why are multiple seismometer stations required to determine the epicenter's exact location

  . the detectors can only give a distance from the station not direction

  . distances from at least 3 different stations are required to pinpoint the exact position
• what happens to speed of seismic waves as they travel towards the earth's mantle

  speed increases
• what is S wave shadow zone and what does it show

  . the area on the earth's surface that S waves can't reach during an earthquake

  . this led to the model of the earth having a liquid part of its core
• 4 main layers of earth

  Crust

  Mantle

  Outer core (liquid)

  Inner core (solid)