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P wave and S wave from seismograph Velocity of seismic waves in Earth versus depth. [1] 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.
[18] [19] P-waves, which can move through all states of matter and provide data on a range of depths, change speed based on the material's properties, such as type, density, and temperature. [ 3 ] [ 1 ] S-waves, in contrast, are constrained to solids and reveal information about the Earth's rigidity and internal composition, including the ...
Typical values for P wave velocity in earthquakes are in the range 5 to 8 km/s. The precise speed varies according to the region of the Earth's interior, from less than 6 km/s in the Earth's crust to 13.5 km/s in the lower mantle, and 11 km/s through the inner core. [6]
The P wave is the first wave that is bigger than the other waves (the microseisms). Because P waves are the fastest seismic waves, they will usually be the first ones that the seismograph records. The next set of seismic waves on the seismogram will be the S waves. These are usually bigger than the P waves, and have higher frequency.
In the Earth's interior, the shock- or P waves travel much faster than the S waves (approx. relation 1.7:1). The differences in travel time from the epicenter to the observatory are a measure of the distance and can be used to image both sources of earthquakes and structures within the Earth. Also, the depth of the hypocenter can be computed ...
An earthquake is what happens when the seismic energy from plates slipping past each other rattles the planet's surface. Those seismic waves are like ripples on a pond, the USGS said.
The difference between the P wave/S wave arrival times provides a distance (under ideal conditions), constraining the epicenter to a circle. A second detection on a non-parallel cable is needed to resolve the ambiguity of the resulting solution. Additional observations constrain the location of the earthquake's epicenter, and may resolve the depth.
Receiver functions use Snell's law refraction of P waves and converted S waves to estimate the depth of the Moho. They are only generated clearly if the central angle (angle subtended at the center of the Earth) between the seismic event and the seismograph station is between 30 and 95 degrees (between about 3300 and 8900 km separation). [ 4 ]