Question

explaining how earthquakes reveal earth’s interior
how do earthquakes help geologists understand earth’s interior?
during an earthquake, geologists use a machine called a seismograph to study seismic waves.
p waves can pass through both solid and molten rock, but s waves can pass only through rock.
options for the blank: molten, solid, tarry

Explanation:

To determine the correct option, we recall the properties of seismic waves: S - waves (secondary waves) can only travel through solid materials, while P - waves (primary waves) can travel through both solids and liquids (molten rock). The options given are "molten", "solid", and "tarry". Since S - waves cannot travel through molten (liquid) rock and "tarry" is not a relevant term for this context, the correct option is "solid" as S - waves pass only through solid rock.

Answer:

solid