Seismic Waves

What types of materials can P waves travel through?

• Solids and liquids

• Only solids

• Only liquids

• Neither solids nor liquids

Which type of seismic wave is faster?

• S waves

• Depends on the medium

• P waves

• Both are equally fast

What devices are used to detect seismic waves?

• Seismometers

• Hygrometers

• Barometers

• Thermometers

How do scientists use seismic waves to study Earth's internal structure?

• By ignoring wave behavior

• By comparing detection times across different locations

• By creating artificial waves

• By measuring wave speed only

What happens to seismic waves at the boundary of two different mediums?

• They stop

• They speed up

• They vanish

• They can be reflected, absorbed, or transmitted

Why do seismic waves change direction?

• They do not change direction

• Changes in medium density

• Pressure changes

• Temperature changes

What causes seismic waves to be refracted?

• Crossing into a less dense medium

• Crossing into a denser medium

• Staying within the same medium

• Both crossing into a denser and less dense medium

What is a key difference between P waves and S waves regarding their travel through Earth's layers?

• P waves can travel through liquids, S waves cannot

• S waves can travel through liquids, P waves cannot

• Both can travel through liquids

• Neither can travel through liquids

What does the refraction of seismic waves indicate about Earth's layers?

• Uniform density throughout

• Variable density in different layers

• Density unrelated to wave behavior

• No significant density changes

What discovery was made possible by observing S waves' behavior?

• Earth's crust variability

• Earth's gaseous layer

• Earth's liquid outer core

• Earth's solid inner core