EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -P waves travel fastest and are the first to arrive from the earthquake. In S or shear waves, rock oscillates perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. In rock, S waves generally travel about 60% the speed of P waves, and the S wave always arrives after the P wave.

Detailed explanation-2: -P Waves. The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary wave. It’s the fastest kind of seismic wave, and the first to arrive at a seismic station. P waves can move through solid rock and fluids, like water or the liquid layers of the Earth.

Detailed explanation-3: -Why do P waves arrive first? When an earthquake occurs, seismic waves, including P and S waves carry energy away from the hypocenter in all directions. The P wave propagates with a velocity of about six kilometers per second in rock, while the S wave is slower at four kilometers per second.

Detailed explanation-4: -There are two types of body waves: P-waves travel fastest and through solids, liquids, and gases; S-waves only travel through solids. Surface waves are the slowest, but they do the most damage in an earthquake.