Question

a seismologist compares seismic wave data from two earthquakes of equal magnitude. earthquake as s-waves are recorded at a station 800 km away, but earthquake bs s-waves are not recorded at a station 800 km away in the opposite direction. what does this data suggest about earths interior?

the station equipment malfunctioned during earthquake b

earthquake b was weaker than earthquake a

the outer core is liquid and blocks s-waves from traveling through it

s-waves travel faster in one direction than another

Explanation:

S - waves (shear waves) cannot travel through liquid. The fact that Earthquake B's S - waves are not recorded at a station 800 km away in the opposite direction suggests that the S - waves were blocked by a liquid layer in Earth's interior. The outer core is known to be liquid, and this matches the observation. The other options are incorrect: the problem states the earthquakes are of equal magnitude, so equipment malfunction or different magnitudes are not valid; S - waves don't travel faster in one direction arbitrarily.

Answer:

C. The outer core is liquid and blocks S - waves from traveling through it