EARTHQUAKE SCIENCE - Here’s a look at what the Hooked on Science seismograph, located in Paducah, KY, recorded with the 2.6 Earthquake 9km ENE of La Center, KY. You can see the P-waves, then S-waves, and finally the surface waves. The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary wave. This is the fastest kind of seismic wave, and, consequently, the first to arrive at a seismic station. The second type of body wave is the S wave or secondary wave, which is the second wave you feel in an earthquake. An S wave is slower than a P wave and can only move through solid rock, not through any liquid medium. Travelling only through the crust, surface waves are of a lower frequency than body waves, and are easily distinguished on a seismogram as a result. Though they arrive after body waves, it is surface waves that are almost entirely responsible for the damage and destruction associated with earthquakes.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 05:04:53 +0000
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