Seismic method

The seismic method of exploration , exploit the

fact that the velocity of elastic waves is different
in different rocks .
 What are seismic waves?
Many people have experienced an earthquake but are
probably unaware that the shaking they Feel and The
damage To structures Are caused By the Arrival of
Various seismic waves, a general term encompassing all
waves generated by an earthquake. When movement
on a fault takes place, energy is released in the form of
two kinds of seismic waves that radiate outward in all
directions from an earthquake’s focus.
Body waves, so called because they travel through the
solid body of Earth, are somewhat like sound waves,
and
surface waves, which travel along the ground surface,
are analogous to undulations or waves on water
surfaces.
 What are the two types of body waves?

An earthquake generates two types of body waves:

P-waves and S-waves :
P-waves, or primary waves,
-are the fastest seismic waves and can travel
through solids, liquids, and gases.
-P-waves are compressional, or push–pull, waves
and are similar to sound waves in that they move
material forward and backward along a line in the
same direction that the waves themselves are
moving.
-Thus the material through which P-waves travel is expanded
and compressed as the waves move through it and returns
to its original size and shape after the waves pass by.
- In fact, some P-waves emerging from Earth are transmitted
into the atmosphere as sound waves, which at certain
frequencies can be heard by humans and animals.

S-waves, or secondary waves, are somewhat slower than P-

waves .
- S-waves can travel only through solids.
- S-waves are shear waves because they move the material
perpendicular to the direction of travel, thereby producing
shear stresses in the material they move through .
- Because liquids (as well as gases) are not rigid, they have
no shear strength, and S-waves cannot be transmitted
through them.
-The velocities of P- and S-waves are determined
by the density and elasticity of the materials
through which they travel.
-For example, seismic waves travel more slowly
through rocks of greater density but more
rapidly through rocks with greater elasticity.
- Elasticity is a property of solids, such as rocks,
and means that once they have been deformed
by an applied force, they return to their original
shape when the force is no longer present.
- Because P-wave velocity is higher than S-wave
velocity in all materials, P-waves always arrive at
seismic stations first.
 what are the two major types of surface waves?
-Surface waves travel along the surface of the ground, or just below it,
and are slower than body waves. Unlike the sharp jolting and shaking
that body waves cause, surface waves generally produce a rolling or
swaying motion, much like the experience of being in a boat.
- Several types of surface waves are recognized. The two most
important are Rayleigh waves and Love waves, named after the
British scientists who discovered them, Lord Rayleigh and A. E. H.
Love.
- Rayleigh waves (R-waves) are generally the slower of the two and
behave like water waves in that they move forward while the
individual particles of material move in an elliptical path within a
vertical plane oriented in the Direction of wave movement.
The motion of a Love wave (L-wave) is similar to that of an S-wave, but
the individual particles of the material move only back and forth in a
horizontal plane perpendicular to the direction of wave travel.
This type of lateral motion can be particularly damaging to building
foundations.