Seismic Waves Flashcards
What are seismic waves?
Seismic waves are vibrations that travel through the Earth, usually caused by earthquakes
What are the two main types of seismic waves?
- Body waves (travel through the Earth’s interior)
- Surface waves (travel along the Earth’s surface)
What are body waves?
Body waves move through the Earth’s interior and are divided into P-waves and S-waves
What are P-waves?
P-waves (Primary Waves) are the fastest seismic waves and the first to be detected.
They can travel through solids, liquids, and gases
What are S-waves?
S-waves (Secondary Waves) are slower than P-waves and are detected second.
They can only travel through solids, not liquids or gases.
What are surface waves?
Surface waves move along the Earth’s surface and cause the most damage.
What are the two types of surface waves?
- Love Waves
- Rayleigh Waves
What are surface waves?
Waves that move along the Earth’s surface during an earthquake
What are the two types of surface waves?
- Rayleigh waves (rolling motion)
- Love waves (side-to-side motion)
How do Rayleigh waves move?
They make the ground rise and fall like ocean waves
How do Love waves move?
They move the ground side to side, like a shaking motion
Which surface wave is faster?
Love waves travel faster than Rayleigh waves
