Final answer:
S-waves, or shear waves, cannot travel through liquid because they require a rigid material to propagate. In contrast, P-waves can travel through both solid and liquid materials.
Step-by-step explanation:
The kind of seismic waves that cannot travel through liquid are S-waves, also known as shear or transverse waves. These waves require a rigid material to propagate, which is why they are not transmitted through Earth's liquid core. In contrast, P-waves, or pressure waves, are able to pass through both solid and liquid materials because they compress and expand the material in the direction the wave is traveling.
This property allows P-waves to travel through Earth's core, unlike S-waves. Earthquakes commonly produce both types of these seismic waves, with S-waves known to cause more damage compared to P-waves, despite arriving after the faster P-waves.