Seismic wave

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about waves that travel through the Earth. For ocean waves sometimes called
"seismic sea waves", see Tsunami.

Part of a series on

Earthquakes

Types

o Foreshock
o Aftershock

o Blind thrust
o Doublet

o Interplate
o Intraplate

o Megathrust
o Remotely triggered

o Slow
o Submarine
o Supershear

o Tsunami
o Earthquake swarm

Causes

o Fault movement
o Volcanism
Induced seismicity

Characteristics

o Epicenter
o Hypocenter

o Shadow zone
o Seismic waves

o P-wave
o S-wave

Measurement

o Seismic scales
o Seismometer

Prediction
Coordinating Committee for
Earthquake Prediction
Forecasting

Other topics

Shear wave splitting

AdamsWilliamson equation
FlinnEngdahl regions
Earthquake engineering

o Seismite
o Seismology

Earth Sciences Portal

Category Related topics

v
t
e
Body waves and surface waves

p-wave and s-wave from seismograph

Velocity of seismic waves in the Earth versus depth.[1] The negligible S-wave velocity in the outer core
occurs because it is liquid, while in the solid inner core the S-wave velocity is non-zero.
Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers, and are a result
of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magma movement, large landslides and large man-
made explosions that give out low-frequency acoustic energy. Many other natural and
anthropogenic sources create low-amplitude waves commonly referred to as ambient vibrations.
Seismic waves are studied by geophysicists called seismologists. Seismic wave fields are
recorded by a seismometer, hydrophone (in water), or accelerometer.
The propagation velocity of the waves depends on density and elasticity of the medium. Velocity
tends to increase with depth and ranges from approximately 2 to 8 km/s in the Earth's crust, up
to 13 km/s in the deep mantle.[2]
Earthquakes create distinct types of waves with different velocities; when reaching seismic
observatories, their different travel timeshelp scientists to locate the source of the hypocenter. In
geophysics the refraction or reflection of seismic waves is used for research into the structure of
 the Earth's interior, and man-made vibrations are often generated to investigate shallow,
subsurface structures.

Contents
[hide]

1Types
o 1.1Body waves
1.1.1Primary waves
1.1.2Secondary waves
o 1.2Surface waves
1.2.1Rayleigh waves
1.2.2Love waves
1.2.3Stoneley waves
1.2.4Free oscillations of the Earth
o 1.3P and S waves in Earth's mantle and core
2Notation
3Usefulness of P and S waves in locating an event
4See also
5References
6External links

Types[edit]
Among the many types of seismic waves, one can make a broad distinction between body
waves, which travel through the Earth, and surface waves, which travel at the Earth's
surface.[2]:4850[3]:5657
Other modes of wave propagation exist than those described in this article; though of
comparatively minor importance for earth-borne waves, they are important in the case
of asteroseismology.

Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth.

Surface waves travel across the surface. Surface waves decay more slowly with distance
than body waves, which travel in three dimensions.
Particle motion of surface waves is larger than that of body waves, so surface waves tend to
cause more damage.
Body waves[edit]
Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth along paths controlled by the material
properties in terms of density and modulus (stiffness). The density and modulus, in turn, vary
according to temperature, composition, and material phase. This effect resembles
the refraction of light waves. Two types of particle motion result in two types of body
waves: Primary and Secondary waves.
Primary waves[edit]
Main article: P-wave
Primary waves (P-waves) are compressional waves that are longitudinal in nature. P waves are
pressure waves that travel faster than other waves through the earth to arrive at seismograph
stations first, hence the name "Primary". These waves can travel through any type of material,
including fluids, and can travel at nearly twice the speed of S waves. In air, they take the form of
sound waves, hence they travel at the speed of sound. Typical speeds are 330 m/s in air,
1450 m/s in water and about 5000 m/s in granite.
Secondary waves[edit]
Main article: S-wave
Secondary waves (S-waves) are shear waves that are transverse in nature. Following an
earthquake event, S-waves arrive at seismograph stations after the faster-moving P-waves and
displace the ground perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Depending on the
propagational direction, the wave can take on different surface characteristics; for example, in
the case of horizontally polarized S waves, the ground moves alternately to one side and then
the other. S-waves can travel only through solids, as fluids (liquids and gases) do not support
shear stresses. S-waves are slower than P-waves, and speeds are typically around 60% of that
of P-waves in any given material.
Surface waves[edit]
Seismic surface waves trav Seismic wave
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about waves that travel through the Earth. For ocean waves sometimes called
"seismic sea waves", see Tsunami.

Part of a series on

Earthquakes

Types

o Foreshock
o Aftershock

o Blind thrust
o Doublet

o Interplate
o Intraplate

o Megathrust
o Remotely triggered

o Slow
o Submarine
o Supershear

o Tsunami
o Earthquake swarm

Causes

 o Fault movement
o Volcanism
Induced seismicity

Characteristics

o Epicenter
o Hypocenter

o Shadow zone
o Seismic waves

o P-wave
o S-wave

Measurement

o Seismic scales
o Seismometer

Prediction
Coordinating Committee for
Earthquake Prediction
Forecasting

Other topics

Shear wave splitting

AdamsWilliamson equation
FlinnEngdahl regions
Earthquake engineering

o Seismite
o Seismology

Earth Sciences Portal

Category Related topics

v
t
e
Body waves and surface waves

p-wave and s-wave from seismograph

Velocity of seismic waves in the Earth versus depth.[1] The negligible S-wave velocity in the outer core
occurs because it is liquid, while in the solid inner core the S-wave velocity is non-zero.
Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers, and are a result
of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magma movement, large landslides and large man-
made explosions that give out low-frequency acoustic energy. Many other natural and
anthropogenic sources create low-amplitude waves commonly referred to as ambient vibrations.
Seismic waves are studied by geophysicists called seismologists. Seismic wave fields are
recorded by a seismometer, hydrophone (in water), or accelerometer.
The propagation velocity of the waves depends on density and elasticity of the medium. Velocity
tends to increase with depth and ranges from approximately 2 to 8 km/s in the Earth's crust, up
to 13 km/s in the deep mantle.[2]
Earthquakes create distinct types of waves with different velocities; when reaching seismic
observatories, their different travel timeshelp scientists to locate the source of the hypocenter. In
geophysics the refraction or reflection of seismic waves is used for research into the structure of
 the Earth's interior, and man-made vibrations are often generated to investigate shallow,
subsurface structures.

Contents
[hide]

1Types
o 1.1Body waves
1.1.1Primary waves
1.1.2Secondary waves
o 1.2Surface waves
1.2.1Rayleigh waves
1.2.2Love waves
1.2.3Stoneley waves
1.2.4Free oscillations of the Earth
o 1.3P and S waves in Earth's mantle and core
2Notation
3Usefulness of P and S waves in locating an event
4See also
5References
6External links

Types[edit]
Among the many types of seismic waves, one can make a broad distinction between body
waves, which travel through the Earth, and surface waves, which travel at the Earth's
surface.[2]:4850[3]:5657
Other modes of wave propagation exist than those described in this article; though of
comparatively minor importance for earth-borne waves, they are important in the case
of asteroseismology.

Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth.

Surface waves travel across the surface. Surface waves decay more slowly with distance
than body waves, which travel in three dimensions.
Particle motion of surface waves is larger than that of body waves, so surface waves tend to
cause more damage.
Body waves[edit]
Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth along paths controlled by the material
properties in terms of density and modulus (stiffness). The density and modulus, in turn, vary
according to temperature, composition, and material phase. This effect resembles
the refraction of light waves. Two types of particle motion result in two types of body
waves: Primary and Secondary waves.
Primary waves[edit]
Main article: P-wave
Primary waves (P-waves) are compressional waves that are longitudinal in nature. P waves are
pressure waves that travel faster than other waves through the earth to arrive at seismograph
stations first, hence the name "Primary". These waves can travel through any type of material,
including fluids, and can travel at nearly twice the speed of S waves. In air, they take the form of
sound waves, hence they travel at the speed of sound. Typical speeds are 330 m/s in air,
1450 m/s in water and about 5000 m/s in granite.
Secondary waves[edit]
Main article: S-wave
Secondary waves (S-waves) are shear waves that are transverse in nature. Following an
earthquake event, S-waves arrive at seismograph stations after the faster-moving P-waves and
displace the ground perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Depending on the
propagational direction, the wave can take on different surface characteristics; for example, in
the case of horizontally polarized S waves, the ground moves alternately to one side and then
the other. S-waves can travel only through solids, as fluids (liquids and gases) do not support
shear stresses. S-waves are slower than P-waves, and speeds are typically around 60% of that
of P-waves in any given material.
Surface waves[edit]
Seismic surface waves travel along the Earth's surface. They can be classified as a form
of mechanical surface waves. They are called surface waves, as they diminish as they get
further from the surface. They travel more slowly than seismic body waves (P and S). In large
earthquakes, surface waves can have an amplitude of several centimeters.[4]
Rayleigh waves[edit]
Main article: Rayleigh wave
Rayleigh waves, also called ground roll, are surface waves that travel as ripples with motions
that are similar to those of waves on the surface of water (note, however, that the associated
particle motion at shallow depths is retrograde, and that the restoring force in Rayleigh and in
other seismic waves is elastic, not gravitational as for water waves). The existence of these
waves was predicted by John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh, in 1885. They are slower than body
waves, roughly 90% of the velocity of S waves for typical homogeneous elastic media. In the
layered medium (like the crust and upper mantle) the velocity of the Rayleigh waves depends on
their frequency and wavelength. See also Lamb waves.

el along the Earth's surface. They can be classified as a form of mechanical surface waves. They
are called surface waves, as they diminish as they get further from the surface. They travel more
slowly than seismic body waves (P and S). In large earthquakes, surface waves can have an
amplitude of several centimeters.[4]
Rayleigh waves[edit]
Main article: Rayleigh wave
Rayleigh waves, also called ground roll, are surface waves that travel as ripples with motions
that are similar to those of waves on the surface of water (note, however, that the associated
particle motion at shallow depths is retrograde, and that the restoring force in Rayleigh and in
other seismic waves is elastic, not gravitational as for water waves). The existence of these
waves was predicted by John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh, in 1885. They are slower than body
waves, roughly 90% of the velocity of S waves for typical homogeneous elastic media. In the
layered medium (like the crust and upper mantle) the velocity of the Rayleigh waves depends on
their frequency and wavelength. See also Lamb waves.