Download Types of Waves

Types of Waves
Seismic Waves
Waves
A wave is just a
disturbance that
moves through a
medium.
A medium is any
material through
which a wave travels.
The medium for seismic
waves is the Earth.
Seismic Waves


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Seismic waves are the
waves of energy that
travels through the earth
and is recorded on
seismographs.
There are different types
of seismic waves.
Body waves
P-waves
S-waves

Surface Waves
Body Waves

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Traveling through
the interior of the
earth.
Body waves arrive
before the surface
waves.
These waves are of
a higher frequency
than surface
waves.
P waves

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P waves are primary
waves because they
arrive at seismic
reporting stations first.
They have the highest
velocity of seismic
waves.
P waves

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These are longitudinal waves.
Sometimes called an elastic
wave.
P waves

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The P wave can move
through solid rock and
fluids, like water or the
liquid layers of the earth.
It pushes and pulls the
rock it moves through
just like sound waves
push and pull the air.
http://www.geo.mtu.e
du/UPSeis/images/
Pwave_animation.gif
S Waves

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The second type of
body wave is the S
wave or secondary
wave, which is the
second wave you feel in
an earthquake.
An S wave is slower
than a P wave and can
only move through solid
rock, not through any
liquid medium.
S Waves

S waves move rock http://www.geo.mtu.e
particles up and
du/UPSeis/images/
down, or side-toS
side--perpendicular
to the direction that
the wave is
traveling.
Surface Waves

A seismic wave that
travels across the
surface of the Earth as
opposed to through it


Only through
the Earths
crust.
Surface waves usually
have larger amplitudes
and longer wavelengths
than body waves, and
they travel more slowly
than body waves do.
Surface Waves

Though they arrive after
body waves, it is surface
waves that are almost
entirely responsible for
the damage and
destruction with
earthquakes.
http://www.geo.mtu.e
du/UPSeis/images/
Love_animation.gif
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/images/Rayleigh_animation.gi
f
How can scientists tell where the
earthquake happened?


Scientists then use
a method called
triangulation to
determine exactly
where the
earthquake was.
The epicenter is the
point on the Earth
where the
earthquake
originated.
The Benefits of Earthquakes

Earthquakes relieve Earthquakes shape
the tension
and move our land.
between tectonic
Earthquakes create
plates.
new land.

Little
earthquakes
help us be not
as likely to
have bigger
ones.