Types of Waves

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)
Near an earthquake the shaking is large and
dominated by shear-waves and short-period surface
waves. These are the waves that do the most damage to
our buildings, highways, etc.
At farther distances the amplitude of the seismic

waves decreases as the energy released by the
earthquake spreads throughout a larger volume of
Earth. Also with increasing distance from the
earthquake, the waves are separated apart in time and
dispersed because P, S, and surface waves travel at
different speeds.
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.
Wave Travel Times :--
If you have to travel 120 miles and you drive 60
mph, you'll get to your destination in two hours, if you are
forced to drive at a speed of 30 mph, it will take you twice
as long to arrive at your destination. The mathematical
formula we use in this problem is
driving time = (distance of trip) / (driving speed)
To apply those ideas to earthquake studies, think

of the earthquake location as the starting point for the
trip and the seismometer as the place where the trip
concludes. Faster waves will travel the distance quicker
and show up on the seismogram first.
travel time = (distance from earthquake to seismometer) / (seismic wave speed)

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
Seismic Wave Propagation :--
Waves on a Seismogram :--
The fastest waves arrive at a seismometer first.

Thus, if we look at a seismogram, we expect to see the first
wave to arrive to be a P-wave (the fastest), then the S-
wave, and finally, the Love and Rayleigh (the slowest)
waves.
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
Refraction :--
The change in direction depends on the ratio of the wave
velocities of the two different rocks.
When waves reach a boundary between different rock types, part of the energy is
transmitted across the boundary. The transmitted wave travels in a different direction
which depends on the ratio of velocities of the two rock types. Part of the energy is also
reflected backwards into the region with Rock Type 1, but I haven't shown that on this
diagram.
Refraction has an important affect on waves that travel
through Earth. In general, the seismic velocity in Earth
increases with depth (there are some important exceptions to
this trend) and refraction of waves causes the path followed by
body waves to curve upward.
The overall increase in seismic wave speed with depth into Earth produces an upward
curvature to rays that pass through the mantle. A notable exception is caused by the
decrease in velocity from the mantle to the core. This speed decrease bends waves
backwards and creates a "P-wave Shadow Zone" between about 100° and 140° distance
(1° = 111.19 km).
Reflection :--
In some instances reflections from the boundary between
the mantle and crust may induce strong shaking that causes
damage about 100 km from an earthquake
When a wave encounters a change in material properties

(seismic velocities and or density) its energy is split into
reflected and refracted waves.
Dispersion :--
•Means that different periods travel at different velocities.
•Usually, the long periods arrive first since they are
sensitive to the speeds deeper in Earth, and the deeper
regions are generally faster.
A dispersed Rayleigh wave generated by an earthquake in

Alabama near the Gulf coast, and recorded in Missouri.
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.
Earth's Internal Structure
Velocity and density variations within Earth

based on seismic observations. The main
regions of Earth and important boundaries
are labeled. This model was developed in
the early 1980's and is called PREM for
Preliminary Earth Reference Model.

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TYPES OF WAVES AND DESCRIPTION

•Compressional or P (for primary)

At farther distances the amplitude of the seismic

To apply those ideas to earthquake studies, think

travel time = (distance from earthquake to seismometer) / (seismic wave speed)

•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

Waves on a Seismogram :--

The fastest waves arrive at a seismometer first.

When a wave encounters a change in material properties

A dispersed Rayleigh wave generated by an earthquake in

Velocity and density variations within Earth

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