Question

Describe how the three different types of seismic waves move and affect the movement of the material they pass over or through.

Answer 1

Seismic waves travel in all the directions and used to determine the magnitude of an earthquake. There are 3 types of seismic waves that move in different directions.
1. P wave: It is the fastest of all three waves that travel through the interior of the earth and are compressive waves.
2. S wave: Secondary waves generally follow the P waves and travel through the interior of the earth but are shearing waves.
3. Surface wave: This is the slowest of all three waves that moves close to the surface of the ground.

These waves affect the movement of other materials when they are passing through the interior or surface of the earth.
P waves can move through the solid rocks and even liquids. S waves do not travel through the  liquids such as water and molten magma. Surface waves causes shaking of the ground and do not go deep inside the earth.