Seismic Waves in the Earth's Interior Surface

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts of seismic waves, including body waves, surface waves, P-waves, S-waves, Love waves, Rayleigh waves, and interior propagation paths based on Science 9 LAS 3.

Seismic waves

Waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers resulting from earthquakes, eruptions, or movement of underlying magma caused by human or natural sources.

Ambient vibrations

Low-amplitude seismic waves created by human or natural sources, such as earthquakes, eruptions, or movement of underlying magma.

Body waves

Seismic waves that travel through the interior of the Earth.

Surface waves

Seismic waves that propagate near the Earth's surface (surface of mantle and core).

Primary wave (P-wave)

A body wave that travels through any kind of material, whether solid, liquid, or gas.

Secondary wave (S-wave)

A body wave that only moves through solids and is stopped by liquids and gases.

Love waves

Horizontally polarized shear waves propagating within a low-velocity layer, transmitted whenever the S-wave velocity of the surface layer is lower than that of the underlying layer.

Rayleigh waves

Surface waves whose particles follow an elliptical path in a vertical plane, moving both vertically and horizontally in the direction the waves are travelling.

Earth's Interior Seismic Propagation Diagram

A diagram illustrating P-waves passing through the mantle, liquid outer core, solid inner core, and forming a shadow zone.