Seismic waves can be classified into two basic types: body waves which travel through the Earth and
surface waves
, which travel along the Earth’s surface. Those waves that are the most destructive are the surface waves which generally have the strongest vibration.
Where do seismic waves travel faster?
Seismic waves travel more quickly
through denser materials
and therefore generally travel more quickly with depth. Anomalously hot areas slow down seismic waves. Seismic waves move more slowly through a liquid than a solid.
Where are seismic waves fastest and slowest?
Body waves travel through the body of a planet.
Surface
waves travel along the surface. There are two types of body waves: P-waves travel fastest and through solids, liquids, and gases; S-waves only travel through solids. Surface waves are the slowest, but they do the most damage in an earthquake.
Where are seismic waves located?
A seismic wave is an elastic wave generated by an impulse such as an earthquake or an explosion. Seismic waves may travel
either along or near the earth’s surface
(Rayleigh and Love waves) or through the earth’s interior (P and S waves).
Which seismic waves are most damaging?
Of the two types of surface waves,
the L-waves
are the most destructive. They can literally move the ground beneath a building faster than the building itself can respond, effectively shearing the base off of the rest of the building.
What wave causes the most damage?
Answer and Explanation:
Surface waves
are the seismic waves that cause the most damage. Surface waves are named as such because they move along close to the surface of the Earth.
Which is faster S or P wave?
P waves travel fastest
and are the first to arrive from the earthquake. In S or shear waves, rock oscillates perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. In rock, S waves generally travel about 60% the speed of P waves, and the S wave always arrives after the P wave.
What are 4 types of seismic waves?
- Body Waves – Primary (P) & Secondary (S) Waves.
- Surface Waves – Rayleigh & Love Waves.
What are the 3 types of waves in an earthquake?
There are three major kinds of seismic waves:
P, S, and surface waves
. P and S waves together are sometimes called body waves because they can travel through the body of the earth, and are not trapped near the surface. A P wave is a sound wave traveling through rock.
How long do seismic waves last?
As the vibration propagates, it loses energy and ultimately fades away. The most powerful seismic waves, generated by the most powerful earthquakes, can go around the Earth for
several days
. Surface waves generated by a powerful earthquake can travel several times around the world.
Can record seismic waves?
Seismic waves lose much of their energy in traveling over great distances. But
sensitive detectors (seismometers) can record theses waves
emitted by even the smallest earthquakes. When these detectors are connected to a system that produces a permanent recording, they are called seismographs.
How fast do seismic waves travel?
In the Earth, P waves travel at speeds from
about 6 km (3.7 miles) per second in surface rock
to about 10.4 km (6.5 miles) per second near the Earth’s core some 2,900 km (1,800 miles) below the surface. As the waves enter the core, the velocity drops to about 8 km (5 miles) per second.
What do seismic waves tell us?
Seismic waves tell us that
the Earth’s interior consists of a series of concentric shells, with a thin outer crust, a mantle, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core
. P waves, meaning primary waves, travel fastest and thus arrive first at seismic stations. The S, or secondary, waves arrive after the P waves.
Do Love or Rayleigh waves cause more damage?
Love waves cause more damage than Rayleigh waves
, but both are highly destructive because they occur near the surface of the Earth.
Which waves are useful to seismologist?
Body waves
are the type of waves that are useful for seismologist in their study of the earth’s interior because they are the only type of waves that give information about the deep interior of the Earth. Body waves have two types, the P waves and the S waves.
What types of waves are most responsible for the destruction of buildings?
Rayleigh waves churn over and under like rolling ocean waves; Love waves shake the earth from side to side.
Love and Rayleigh waves
, named after their discovers, are the ones often responsible for making buildings collapse.
