Question

Which of the following statement is/are correct about the earthquake waves?

(i) P-waves can travel through solid, liquid and gaseous materials.

(ii) S-waves can travel through solid and liquid materials.

(iii) The surface waves are the first to report on seismograph.

• A. Only (i)
• B. Only (ii) and (iii)
• C. Only (i) and (iii)
• D. All of the above (i), (ii) and (iii)

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Only (i)

(i) P-waves can travel through solid, liquid, and gaseous materials – This is correct. P-waves are longitudinal waves and can pass through all states of matter including solids, liquids, and gases.

(ii) S-waves can travel through solid and liquid materials – This is incorrect. S-waves are transverse (shear) waves and can only travel through solids because liquids and gases do not support shear stresses.

(iii) The surface waves are the first to report on seismograph – This is incorrect. Surface waves are slower and arrive last on a seismograph, after the P-waves (primary waves) and S-waves (secondary waves) have arrived.