GENERAL GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Some earthquake waves move only along the surface of the earth. Love waves shake the surface side-to-side. Rayleigh waves move the surface of the earth around in a circle, forward and down then back and up. This is the same as the motion in an ocean wave.

Detailed explanation-2: -There are several types of surface wave, but the two most common varieties are Rayleigh waves and Love waves.

Detailed explanation-3: -A Rayleigh wave rolls along the ground with a more complex motion than Love waves. Although Rayleigh waves appear to roll like waves on an ocean, the particle motion is opposite of ocean waves. Because it rolls, it moves the ground up and down, and forward and backward in the direction that the wave is moving.

Detailed explanation-4: -Love and Rayleigh waves are surface waves and propagate approximately parallel to the Earth’s surface. Although surface wave motion penetrates to significant depth in the Earth, these types of waves do not propagate directly through the Earth’s interior.

Detailed explanation-5: -Rayleigh waves, also called ground roll, travel as ripples similar to those on the surface of water. Love waves cause horizontal shearing of the ground. 21-Jul-2007