Earthquake waves are called seismic waves. These waves are vibrations generated by the sudden release of energy during an earthquake, and they travel through the Earth or along its surface
. There are two main types of seismic waves:
- Body waves , which travel through the interior of the Earth. These include:
- P-waves (Primary waves) : The fastest seismic waves, which compress and expand the ground in the direction of travel. They can move through solids, liquids, and gases and arrive first at seismic stations.
- S-waves (Secondary waves) : Slower than P-waves, these shake the ground perpendicular to the direction of travel and can only move through solids
- Surface waves , which travel along the Earth's surface and usually cause the most damage. These include:
- Love waves : Fast surface waves that cause horizontal ground movement.
- Rayleigh waves : Slower surface waves that produce rolling, elliptical ground movement and are responsible for much of the shaking felt during an earthquake
Seismic waves are crucial for studying earthquakes and Earth's internal structure, as their travel times and behaviors provide valuable information to scientists
