Updated By: LatestGKGS Desk
Earthquake: Primary waves (p-waves) vs Secondary waves (s-waves)
Earthquake Body Waves - Primary Waves vs Secondary Waves comparison
Earthquake body waves are of two types 1. Primary Waves or p waves and 2. Secondary Waves or s waves. The origin of both types of waves is the release of the energy at the focus and moves in all directions throughout the earth's body.
Body waves are faster in comparison to surface waves hence they can be detected on earthquake instruments (seismograph) earlier than surface waves.
The major differences between Primary Waves and Secondary Waves are:-
| Sr. No. | Primary Waves (p Waves) | Secondary Waves (s Waves) |
| 1. | Primary waves arrive first on the surface. | Secondary waves are slower than primary waves to arrive on the surface. |
| 2. | Primary waves are analogous to sound waves (longitudinal waves) | Secondary waves can pass through only solid material. |
| 3. | Primary waves can travel through all three medium solid, liquid, and gaseous. | The range of s Waves is up to 1050 from the focus and beyond this range, they cannot be detected in the solid medium. |
| 4. | Primary waves (p waves) capable to create density difference mean squeezing and relaxing the earth's surface. | Secondary waves are transverse in propagation not capable to bring density difference on the surface. |
