The types of seismic waves explained
The types of seismic waves explained
The shifting rock in an earthquake causes vibrations called seismic waves that travel within Earth or along its surface. The four main types of seismic waves are P waves, S waves, Love waves, and Rayleigh waves.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The shifting rock in an earthquake causes vibrations called seismic waves that travel within Earth or along its surface. The four main types of seismic waves are P waves, S waves, Love waves, and Rayleigh waves.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the transmission of Rayleigh waves, which traverse the free surface of an elastic solid such as Earth's surface, causing the medium to move back and forth and up and down in the direction of propagation.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the transmission of Love waves, which travel near the surface of a medium of varying vertical elasticity, causing the medium to move from side to side perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The S wave
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the transmission of P waves (primary waves), which alternately squeeze and stretch the transmitting medium, causing it to move back and forth in the direction of propagation.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Seismic waves travel in different patterns and at different speeds through the Earth. The most damaging are the surface types—the Love waves and the Rayleigh waves.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.We're picking up earthquake vibrations.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn more about the relationship between earthquakes and different types of seismic waves.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The Richter scale and how it measures earthquake magnitude. The Richter scale calculates an earthquake's magnitude (size) from the amplitude of the earthquake's largest seismic wave recorded by a seismograph.
Transcript
The shifting rock in an earthquake causes vibrations called seismic waves that travel within Earth or along its surface.
Scientists use an instrument called a seismograph to record data about seismic waves. This information yields information that can help scientists learn not only about earthquake behavior but also about the structure of Earth itself.
There are two broad classes of seismic waves: body waves and surface waves. Body waves travel within the body of Earth. They include P, or primary, waves and S, or secondary, waves.
P waves cause the ground to compress and expand, that is, to move back and forth, in the direction of travel. They are called primary waves because they are the first type of wave to arrive at seismic recording stations. P waves can travel through solids, liquids, and even gases.
S waves shake the ground in a shearing, or crosswise, motion that is perpendicular to the direction of travel.
These are the shake waves that move the ground up and down or from side to side. S waves are called secondary waves because they always arrive after P waves at seismic recording stations. Unlike P waves, S waves can travel only through solid materials.
After both P and S waves have moved through the body of Earth, they are followed by surface waves, which travel along Earth’s surface. Surface waves travel only through solid media. They are slower-moving than body waves but are much larger and therefore more destructive.
The two types of surface waves are named Love waves and Rayleigh waves, after the scientists who identified them.
Love waves have a horizontal motion that moves the surface from side to side perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling. Of the two surface waves, Love waves move faster.
Rayleigh waves cause the ground to shake in an elliptical pattern. This motion is similar to that observed in ocean waves. Of all the seismic waves, Rayleigh waves spread out the most, giving them a long duration on seismograph recordings.
Scientists use an instrument called a seismograph to record data about seismic waves. This information yields information that can help scientists learn not only about earthquake behavior but also about the structure of Earth itself.
There are two broad classes of seismic waves: body waves and surface waves. Body waves travel within the body of Earth. They include P, or primary, waves and S, or secondary, waves.
P waves cause the ground to compress and expand, that is, to move back and forth, in the direction of travel. They are called primary waves because they are the first type of wave to arrive at seismic recording stations. P waves can travel through solids, liquids, and even gases.
S waves shake the ground in a shearing, or crosswise, motion that is perpendicular to the direction of travel.
These are the shake waves that move the ground up and down or from side to side. S waves are called secondary waves because they always arrive after P waves at seismic recording stations. Unlike P waves, S waves can travel only through solid materials.
After both P and S waves have moved through the body of Earth, they are followed by surface waves, which travel along Earth’s surface. Surface waves travel only through solid media. They are slower-moving than body waves but are much larger and therefore more destructive.
The two types of surface waves are named Love waves and Rayleigh waves, after the scientists who identified them.
Love waves have a horizontal motion that moves the surface from side to side perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling. Of the two surface waves, Love waves move faster.
Rayleigh waves cause the ground to shake in an elliptical pattern. This motion is similar to that observed in ocean waves. Of all the seismic waves, Rayleigh waves spread out the most, giving them a long duration on seismograph recordings.