Types of Waves - Sem

TYPES OF WAVES AND
DESCRIPTION
By
T.Srikanth
Introduction :--
Seismic waves are propagating vibrations that carry energy from
the source of the shaking outward in all directions. You can picture this
concept by recalling the circular waves that spread over the surface of a
pond when a stone is thrown into the water. An earthquake is a more
complicated process than a stone splashing into water, and the seismic
waves that are set up during an earthquake are more varied than those
on the pond.
There are many different seismic waves, but all
of basically of four types:--
•Compressional or P (for primary)

•Transverse or S (for secondary)
•Love (L - wave)
•Rayleigh (R - wave)
The first two wave types, P and S , are called body
waves because they travel or propagate through the body
of Earth. The latter two are called surface waves they the
travel along Earth's surface and their amplitude decreases
with depth into Earth.
Seismic Wave Speed :--
•The precise speed that a seismic wave travels depends
on several factors, most important is the composition of
the rock.
•Temperature tends to lower the speed of seismic waves

and pressure tends to increase the speed.
Compressional or P-Waves :--
•They typically travel at speeds between ~1 and ~14 km/sec.
a P-wave velocity
k represent the bulk modulus of a material
r the density
m the shear-modulus
As a P-wave passes the ground is vibrated in
the direction that the wave is propagating.
S-Waves :--
•Secondary , or S waves, travel slower than P waves and

are also called "shear" waves
•Typical S-wave propagation speeds are on the order

of 1 to 8 km/sec.
As a transverse wave passes the ground perpendicular to the direction
that the wave is propagating. S-waves are transverse waves.
Using P and S-waves To Locate Earthquakes :--
•We can use the fact that P and S waves travel at different
speeds to locate earthquakes.
•When an earthquake occurs the P and S waves travel

outward from the region of the fault that ruptured and
the P waves arrive at the seismometer first, followed by
the S-wave.
•The travel time of the P wave is
distance from earthquake / (P-wave speed)
•The travel time of the S wave is

distance from earthquake / (S-wave speed)
•The difference in the arrival times of the waves is

distance from earthquake / (S-wave speed) -
distance from earthquake / (P-wave speed)
•which equals
distance from earthquake * ( 1/ (S-wave speed) - 1 /
(P-wave speed) )
•S-waves travel about 3.45 km/s and the P-waves around 8 km/s.
Using the "S minus P arrival time" to locate an earthquake. You need at
least three stations and some idea of the P and S velocities between the
earthquake and the seismometers.
Love Waves :--
•They are formed by the interaction of S waves with

Earth's surface and shallow structure and are dispersive
waves.
•In general, earthquakes generate Love waves over a

range of periods from 1000 to a fraction of a second.
•The typical range of velocities is between 2 and 6

km/second.
Love waves are transverse and restricted to horizontal movement - they are
recorded only on seismometers that measure the horizontal ground motion.
Rayleigh Waves :--
•Rayleigh waves are the slowest of all the seismic

wave types and in some ways the most complicated.
•Typical speeds for Rayleigh waves are on the

order of 1 to 5 km/s.
Rayleigh waves are similar to water waves in the ocean (before
they "break" at the surf line). As a Rayleigh wave passes, a
particle moves in an elliptical trajectory that is counterclockwise
(if the wave is traveling to your right). The amplitude of
Rayleigh-wave shaking decreases with depth
Several types of interaction between waves and the subsurface
geology (i.e. the rocks) are commonly observable on
seismograms
1. Refraction
2. Reflection
3. Dispersion
4. Diffraction
5. Attenuation
P-Waves in Earth
The paths of P-wave energy for a shallow earthquake located at the top of the
diagram. The main chemical shells of Earth are shown by different colors and regions
with relatively abrupt velocity changes are shown by dashed lines. The curves show
the paths of waves, and the lines crossing the rays show mark the wavefront at one
minute intervals.

Types of Waves - Sem

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Types of Waves - Sem

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Types of Waves - Sem

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TYPES OF WAVES AND

•Compressional or P (for primary)

•Temperature tends to lower the speed of seismic waves

•They typically travel at speeds between ~1 and ~14 km/sec.

•Secondary , or S waves, travel slower than P waves and

•Typical S-wave propagation speeds are on the order

•When an earthquake occurs the P and S waves travel

•The travel time of the S wave is

•The difference in the arrival times of the waves is

•They are formed by the interaction of S waves with

•In general, earthquakes generate Love waves over a

•The typical range of velocities is between 2 and 6

•Rayleigh waves are the slowest of all the seismic

•Typical speeds for Rayleigh waves are on the

You might also like