Question

Earth’s outer core will not transmit S waves because it is made of _____.

Answer 1

The answer is liquid(molten material)

The S waves are called shear waves. The core is made up of molten material which does not allows S waves to be transmitted through it. The waves coming from mantle is not further transferred and is absorbed by the core. The waves are not transmitted through the outer core and this makes a shadow zone. The waves are not recorded at the shadow part. The phenomenon is used to predict the size of the core which is 3470 kilometers in radius.

Answer 2

The S waves can’t travel through liquids and the Earth’s outer core is molten. When the S waves reach the lithosphere’s liquid core, it gets reflected. S waves travel through solids only, thus Earth’s outer core will not transmit S waves.