Suppose an earthquake occurs on an imaginary planet.Scientists on the other side of the planet detect primary waves but not secondary waves after the quake occurs.This suggests that
A) part of the planet's interior is liquid.
B) all of the planet's interior is solid.
C) the planet has an iron core.
D) the planet's interior consists entirely of rocky materials.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that scientists can detect only primary waves and not secondary waves after an earthquake indicates that there is a liquid layer in between the source of the earthquake and the location of the seismometer. This is because secondary waves cannot travel through liquids, only through solids. Therefore, the best choice is A) part of the planet's interior is liquid. The other answer choices are not supported by the evidence provided.

Suppose an Earthquake Occurs on an Imaginary Planet