GEOL 1700 Midterm: Earthquakes - Study Guide Key - Part II - Spring 2017
7 Feb 2017
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Describe the major types and sub-types of seismic waves (i. e. , where they travel, how they travel, types of matter through which they travel, their relative velocities, etc. When an earthquake occurs, it releases energy in the form of waves that radiate from the earthquake source in all directions. The different types of energy waves shake the ground in different ways and also travel through the earth at different velocities. The fastest wave, and therefore the first to arrive at a given location, is called the p-wave. The p wave, or compressional wave, alternately compresses and expands material in the same direction it is traveling. The s-wave is slower than the p wave and arrives next, shaking the ground up and down and back and forth perpendicular to the direction it is traveling. Primary or p-waves propagate through materials in a push (compressional waves) and pull (dilational) type motion in the direction of travel.
