2007-03-24 06:36:29 · 4 answers · asked by LaLaLa :) 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Cirric is correct. P-waves travel through both fluids and solids, but S-waves travel only through solids. So, the compressional (P) wave goes right on through the crust, no matter what, while the shear (S) waves have a more circuitous route because of them encountering fluids. P waves do travel faster, and because of this the further from the source the longer the travel time difference between the two.
Think of two cars starting a journey together. One travels 50 km/hr and the other 75 km/hr. After one hour they will be 25 km apart. After two hours they'll be 50 km apart, and so forth.
2007-03-24 07:59:59 · answer #1 · answered by David A 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Also the P waves travel faster than the S waves. So the further you are from the focus, the greater the time lag between the arrival of the two waves.
Example- you and a friend are running 50 yards. You are P and you arrive first. Your friend is S and arrives shortly after you.The time difference is very small. BUt say you both ran 1 mile - the time different between you finishing and your slow-poke friend finishing is greater since he is running much slower than you. SHort ditances didnt really make that much of a difference, but the further away you get the more the gap between you and your buddy arriving at the finish line.
2007-03-24 16:05:36 · answer #2 · answered by glazeddonut27 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
s-waves travel slower through the earth than p-waves so as they travel farther and farther from the epicenter the distance between the waves increases
2007-03-24 20:51:07 · answer #3 · answered by Nola 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. Pressure waves are compressive and tend to go faster through the Earth's crust. The Shear waves depend more on the stiffness of the crust, I believe. http://boheme.stfx.ca/ESCI475/02_BasicOfElasticWaves.pdf
2007-03-24 13:59:05 · answer #4 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋