Ask us anythingEarthquakes produce P waves which are longitudinal waves that travel underground. How do these waves move through the soil and rock?

P waves, or primary waves, move through soil and rock by compressing and expanding the material in the same direction as the wave travels. As these longitudinal waves propagate, they create areas of high pressure (compressions) and low pressure (rarefactions) in the subsurface. This movement allows P waves to pass through solids and liquids, making them the fastest seismic waves and the first to be detected by seismographs during an earthquake. Their speed and ability to travel through different materials provide crucial information about the Earth's interior structure.