reases, so there is less damage the farther they しiUa ource. Questions: 1. Which anmong the three earthquake waves is a langitudinal wave? 2. Which among the three earthquake waves is a transverse wave? 3. Can s-waves travel through the interior of the Earth? Why or why not? 4. How does the earthquake waves provide evidence that waves carry energy? earthquake waves spread out, their amplitude decreases, so there is less damage the farther they get from Geologists rely heavily on physics to study earthquakes since earthquakes involve several types of wave disturbances, including disturbance of Earth's surface and pressure disturbances under the surface. 1. Which among the three earthquake waves is a longitudinal wave? Surface earthquake waves are similar to surface waves on water. The waves under Earth's surface have both longitudinal and transverse components. The longitudinal waves in an earthquake are called pressure waves (P-waves) and the transverse waves are called shear waves (S-waves). These two types of waves propagate at different speeds, and the speed at which they travel depends on the rigidity of the medium through which they are traveling. During earthquakes, the speed of P-waves in granite is significantly higher than the speed of S-waves. Both components of earthquakes travel more slowly in less rigid materials, such as sediments. P-waves have speeds of 4 to 7 km/s, and S-waves have speeds of 2 to 5 km/s, but both are faster in more rigid materials. The P-wave gets progressively farther ahead of the S-wave as they travel through Earth's crust. For that reason, the time difference between the P- and S-waves is used to determine the distance to their source, the epicenter of the earthquake. We know from seismic waves produced by earthquakes that parts of the interior of Earth are liquid. Shear or transverse waves cannot travel through a liquid and are not transmitted through Earth's core. In contrast, compression or longitudinal waves can pass through a liquid and they do go through the core. All waves carry energy, and the energy of earthquake waves is easy to observe based on the amount of damage left behind after the ground has stopped moving. Earthquakes can shake whole cities to the oround, performing the work of thousands of wrecking balls. The amount of energy in a wave is related to its amplitude. Large-amplitude earthquakes produce large ground displacements and greater damage. As rhauake waves spread out, their amplitude decreases, so there is less damage the farther they get from the source. Questions: