GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -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-2: -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-3: -Body waves travel through the body of a planet. Surface waves travel along the surface. 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.

Detailed explanation-4: -P Waves. P waves are compressional waves that do not produce much damage. They can move through any type of material and travel at almost twice the speed of S waves. High frequency P waves do not weaken, or “attenuate, ” as rapidly as S waves so they retain higher frequencies when they arrive at seismic stations.