Final answer:
P waves are the type of seismic waves that arrive first at long distances from the storm or earthquake center due to their higher speed compared to S waves and surface waves.
option a. P waves is correct option.
Step-by-step explanation:
When waves arrive at locations long distances away from a storm center, the waves that arrive first are the P waves (primary waves). P waves are longitudinal waves that can travel through both solid and liquid parts of the Earth. They are faster than S waves (secondary or shear waves), which are transverse waves that only move through solid materials. Because of their different speeds, P waves typically reach seismometers before S waves. When monitoring seismic activities, such as earthquakes, scientists use the difference in arrival times of P waves and S waves to determine the distance to the epicenter of the earthquake. In more rigid materials like granite, P waves can travel at speeds of 4 to 7 km/s, while S waves travel at speeds of 2 to 5 km/s.
Hence, due to their higher speed, P waves provide an early warning before the more serious shaking from S waves and surface waves, which are the most damaging, begins.