What is seismic wave that travels fastest and name of the scale that describes energy of earthquake?

4 comments

1. 

   Elizabeth H on February 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

   Compressional waves, also known as primary or P waves, travel fastest, at speeds between 1.5 and 8 kilometers per second in the Earth’s crust.
   The Richter Scale measures the energy of an earthquake by determining the size of the greatest vibrations recorded on a seismogram.

2. 

   NoPlate on February 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

   You have P waves and S waves (Primary and Secondary). P waves travel far faster. The energy is measured using a Magnitude Scale. There are several. The press – who report the earthquakes to you and me – prefer the Richter Scale.

3. 

   scoob_ice on February 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

   P waves (primary waves) are longitudinal or compressional waves. In solids, these waves generally travel almost twice as fast as S waves and can travel through any type of material.

   And…

   Whenever a major earthquake is in the news, you’ll probably hear about its Richter Scale rating. You might also hear about its Mercalli Scale rating, though this isn’t discussed as often. These two ratings describe the power of the earthquake from two different perspectives.

   Go to the links below and get more info… good luck

4. 

   Zac on February 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

   Primary is kinda like the 1st quick wave to get through the secondary wave is like the after shock and the name of the machine that describes the magnitude is the seismograph