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The P wave is designated the primary preliminary wave because it is the first to arrive at a seismic station after an earthquake. It travels at a speed usually less than 6 kilometers per second in the Earth's crust and jumps to 13 kilometers per second through the core.
They are called primary waves because they are the first type of wave to arrive at seismic recording stations. P waves can travel through solids, liquids, and even gases. S waves shake the ground in a shearing, or crosswise, motion that is perpendicular to the direction of travel.
P-waves are the first waves to arrive on a complete record of ground shaking because they travel the fastest (their name derives from this fact - P is an abbreviation for primary, first wave to arrive).
Each seismograph station is at a different distance from the epicenter and records the seismic waves as they arrive at the station. The seismographs show that the time difference for the arrival of the P and S wave at each station is proportional to the distance of the station from epicenter.
Oct 16, 2018 · The P waves undergoes compression and dilation during motion in its direction of propagation. This waves reaches the station first because the P waves travels at a speed, that is much faster in comparison to the S waves. The S waves are the secondary waves and are commonly known as the shear waves.
P waves travel the fastest, so they arrive first. S waves, which travel at about half the speed of P waves, arrive later. A seismic station close to the earthquake records P waves and S waves in quick succession.
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.
