Question

When seismic waves travel from hard materials into softer ones A) they undergo amplification. B) they speed up. C) they cause the rocks to liquify. D) they change from P to S waves. E) they cause landslides.

Answer 1

Seismic waves usually undergo amplification when they move from hard to softer materials, meaning they increase in amplitude. This is due to the lower seismic velocities in softer materials, not because of them liquifying or causing landslides, nor do they change wave types or speed up.

Step-by-step explanation:

When seismic waves travel from hard to softer materials, they generally undergo amplification (Option A). Amplification of seismic waves means the waves increase in amplitude or height, often resulting in a seeming increase in the strength of an earthquake. The more significant shaking in softer materials happens because these materials generally have lower seismic velocities than harder materials, leading to larger amplitude waves. Also, seismic waves do not typically cause rocks to liquify (Option C), cause landslides directly (Option E), speed up when they hit softer materials (Option B), or change from P to S waves (Option D), as these are influenced by other factors.

Learn more about Seismic Waves