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Which type of waves compress and expand the ground like an accordion?

Which type of waves compress and expand the ground like an accordion?

P waves compress and expand the ground like an accordion. P waves are the fastest seismic waves.

Which waves are called compression waves because they only compress and extend the rock material they pass through?

The P wave, or primary wave, is the fastest of the three waves and the first detected by seismographs. They are able to move through both liquid and solid rock. P waves, like sound waves, are compressional waves, which means that they compress and expand matter as they move through it.

What are seismic waves caused by?

Seismic waves are caused by the sudden movement of materials within the Earth, such as slip along a fault during an earthquake. Volcanic eruptions, explosions, landslides, avalanches, and even rushing rivers can also cause seismic waves.

What are the 3 types of earthquake waves?

There are three major kinds of seismic waves: P, S, and surface waves. P and S waves together are sometimes called body waves because they can travel through the body of the earth, and are not trapped near the surface. A P wave is a sound wave traveling through rock.

What are the 2 subtypes of body waves?

Body waves

  • P-waves. The first type of body wave is called the primary wave or pressure wave, and is commonly referred to as P-waves.
  • S-waves. The second type of body wave is called the secondary wave, shear wave or shaking wave, and is commonly referred to as S-waves.
  • Wave propagation.

What are the slowest seismic waves?

The slowest (and latest to arrive on seismograms) are surface waves, such as the L wave. L waves are named for the Cambridge mathematician A.E.H. Love who first described them. The surface waves are generally the largest recorded from an earthquake.

What are the slowest body waves?

How fast do seismic waves move?

In the Earth, P waves travel at speeds from about 6 km (3.7 miles) per second in surface rock to about 10.4 km (6.5 miles) per second near the Earth’s core some 2,900 km (1,800 miles) below the surface. As the waves enter the core, the velocity drops to about 8 km (5 miles) per second.

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