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seismic wave
Sign in to saveAlso known as seismic waves
seismic, volcanic, or explosive energy that travels through Earth's layers
A seismic wave is energy that travels through Earth's layers, created by earthquakes, volcanoes, or explosions. These waves matter because they help scientists understand what's happening inside the Earth and can provide warning of dangerous geological events.
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Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- elastic wave
- Image
- Pswaves.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- studied by
- seismology
- has cause
- earthquake
- Commons category
- Seismic waves
via Wikidata · CC0
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
P wave and S wave from seismograph Velocity of seismic waves in Earth versus depth. The negligible S-wave velocity in the outer core occurs because it is liquid, while in the solid inner core the S-wave velocity is non-zero
A seismic wave is a mechanical wave of acoustic energy that travels through the Earth or another planetary body. It can result from an earthquake (or generally, a quake), volcanic eruption, magma movement, a large landslide, and a large man-made explosion that produces low-frequency acoustic energy. Seismic waves are studied by seismologists, who record the waves using seismometers, hydrophones (in water), or accelerometers. Seismic waves are distinguished from seismic noise (ambient vibration), which is persistent low-amplitude vibration arising from a variety of natural and anthropogenic sources.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “seismic wave” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.