How do surface waves compared to p waves

Sound waves are P-waves moving through the air. The density of the mantle also increases with depth below the asthenosphere.

The higher density reduces the speed of seismic waves. However, the effects of increased rigidity and compressibility in the deep mantle are much greater than the effect of the increased density. The S in S-waves stands for secondary, because they are the second-fastest seismic waves and the second type to be detected once an earthquake has occurred.

S-waves are shear waves though that is not what the S stands for. They move by material flexing or deforming sideways shearing from the direction of wave travel, and then returning to the original shape once the wave passes.

The speed at which S-waves travel through material is determined only by:. The animations below show S-waves propogating across a plane left and from a point source right :.

S-waves can travel only through solids, because only solids have rigidity. For this reason, S waves are sometimes referred to as shear waves because they are unable to alter the volume of the material that they pass through. This also accounts why fewer S waves are recorded than P waves. Geologist used this difference to determine that the Earth's outer core is liquid, and continue to use this difference to map the internal structure of the Earth.

S waves are generally larger than P waves, causing much of the damage in an earthquake. Since the particles in an S wave move up and down, they move the earth around them with greater force, shaking the surface of the Earth. P waves, though easier to record, are significantly smaller and do not cause as much damage because they compress particles in only one direction. Robert Godard began writing in for various creative blogs and academic publications. He has been featured on multiple film blogs and has worked in the film industry.

He attended Baltimore College, earning his B. Love who first described them. The surface waves are generally the largest recorded from an earthquake. Body waves in the earth's interior lose their amplitude rapidly as they get farther from the earthquake because they spread out inside the volume of the earth.

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