P-wave

See also: P wave

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From p(rimary) + wave.

Noun

P-wave (plural P-waves)

  1. (geology, seismology) A longitudinal compressional wave produced by an earthquake.
    • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 71:
      P-waves are the first to arrive; that is, they travel fastest. These are ‘push-pull’ waves analogous to sound waves, in which each particle moves back and forth as the waves propagate.

Synonyms

See also
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