Seismic Wave Motions—4 Waves Animated - IRIS

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• Seismic wave motions4 waves animated

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Seismic Wave Motions—4 waves animated

Novice

An earthquake generates seismic waves that penetrate the Earth as body waves (P & S) or travel as surface waves (Love and Rayleigh). Each wave has a characteristic speed and style of motion. The animations below illustrate both the propogation of the wave as well as the motion of particles as the wave passes.

Keypoints:

Wave propogation and particle motion for...

• Body Waves - Primary (P) & Secondary (S) Waves
• Surface Waves - Rayleigh & Love Waves

• P-wave Motion Animation NoviceP-wave:the primary body wave; the first seismic wave detected by seismographs; able to move through both liquid and solid rock.
• S-wave Motion Animation NoviceS Wave—secondary body waves that oscillate the ground perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. They travel about 1.7 times slower than P waves. Because liquids will not sustain shear stresses, S waves will not travel through liquids like ...
• Rayleigh-wave Motion Animation Novice Rayleigh Waves—surface waves that move in an elliptical motion, producing both a vertical and horizontal component of motion in the direction of wave propagation.
• Love-wave Motion Animation NoviceLove Waves—surface waves that move parallel to the Earth’s surface and perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation..

P-wave Motion P-wave:the primary body wave; the first seismic wave detected by seismographs; able to move through both liquid and solid rock. Animation Novice S-wave Motion S Wave—secondary body waves that oscillate the ground perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. They travel about 1.7 times slower than P waves. Because liquids will not sustain shear stresses, S waves will not travel through liquids like water, molten rock, or the Earth’s outer core. S waves produce vertical and horizontal motion in the ground surface. Animation Novice Rayleigh-wave Motion Rayleigh Waves—surface waves that move in an elliptical motion, producing both a vertical and horizontal component of motion in the direction of wave propagation. Animation Novice Love-wave Motion Love Waves—surface waves that move parallel to the Earth’s surface and perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.. Animation Novice

Related Animations

1-Component Seismogram: Building responds to P, S, surface waves

Seismic waves travel through the earth to a single seismic station. Scale and movement of the seismic station are greatly exaggerated to depict the relative motion recorded by the seismogram as P, S, and surface waves arrive.

Animation Novice 3-Component Seismogram Records Seismic-wave Motion

We use exaggerated motion of a building (seismic station) to show how the ground moves during an earthquake, and why it is important to measure seismic waves using 3 components: vertical, N-S, and E-W. Before showing an actual distant earthquake, we break down the three axes of movement to clarify the 3 seismograms.

Animation Novice Seismic Shadow Zone: Basic Introduction

Seismic shadow zones have taught us much about the inside of the earth. This shows how P waves travel through solids and liquids, but S waves are stopped by the liquid outer core.

Animation Novice Seismic Waves: P- and S-wave particle motion and relative wave-front speeds

The P wave propagates at ~6 km/sec in rock with particle motions that are parallel to the direction of propagation. The S wave is slower at 4 km/sec and propagates with particle motions that are perpendicular to the direction of propagation.

Animation Novice

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Contact us EarthScope Consortium operates the NSF Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (GAGE) and NSF Seismological Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (SAGE). Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.