So which wiggles are the earthquake? The P wave will be the first wiggle that is bigger than the background signals). Because P waves are the fastest seismic waves, they will usually be the first ones ...

body waves arrive before the surface waves emitted by an earthquake. These waves are higher frequency than surface waves. P waves are also known as compressional waves, because they push and pull.

A recording of an earthquake has recognizable characteristics. Typically, one can recognize the arrival of different wave types. The P waves (the fastest traveling waves), S waves, and Surface waves ...