The earliest scientists first observed the waves that earthquakes produce before they could accurately describe the nature of earthquakes or their fundamental causes, as discussed in Lessons 1–5.

Earthquakes release energy along faults, generating seismic waves. P-waves are faster, compressional, and travel through all materials. S-waves are slower, shear waves, and travel only through solids.

A wave is defined as a continuous movement that transmits energy through matter or space.Energy can be conveyed from its source by a wave. The material through which the wave goes does not move with ...