You are sitting in a boat on a lake, fishing peacefully when you hear a low rumble, then experience a shudder that seems to pass through the boat. About 10 seconds later, you see trees on the shore begin to sway violently from side to side, but you don't feel anything in the boat. Which statement best describes what has happened?

Question

A. There was an earthquake that created P-waves but no S-waves, which why you felt the boat shudder and the trees started to sway only after enough energy waves had passed to get them moving
B. There was an earthquake that created P- and S-waves, but they arrived at the same time so they could not be felt as separate events
C. There was an earthquake that created only S-waves, which you experienced in the boat as a series of vibrations that eventually became large enough to shake the trees
D. There was an earthquake that generated P- and S-waves, but since P-waves travel through all states of matter and S-waves travel only through solids, you could only feel the P-waves on the boat, but not the S-waves that shook the trees
E. None of these choices are correct.

Answer 1

Answer: E