Earthquakes produce several types of shock waves. The most well known are the P-waves (P for primary or pressure) and the S-waves (S for secondary or shear). In the earth’s crust, P-waves travel at about 6.5 km>s and S-waves move at about 3.5 km/s. The time delay between the arrival of these two waves at a seismic recording station tells geologists how far away an earthquake occurred. If the time delay is 33 s, how far from the seismic station did the earthquake occur?

Earthquakes produce several types of shock waves. The most well known are the P-waves (P for primary or pressure) and the S-waves (S for secondary or shear). In the earth’s crust, P-waves travel at about 6.5 km>s and S-waves move at about 3.5 km/s. The time delay between the arrival of these two waves at a seismic recording station tells geologists how far away an earthquake occurred. If the time delay is 33 s, how far from the seismic station did the earthquake occur?