GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Love waves move back and forth horizontally. Rayleigh waves cause both vertical and horizontal ground motion. These can be the most destructive waves as they roll along lifting and dropping the ground as they pass.

Detailed explanation-2: -Of the two types of surface waves, the L-waves are the most destructive. They can literally move the ground beneath a building faster than the building itself can respond, effectively shearing the base off of the rest of the building.

Detailed explanation-3: -While both types of surface waves are dangerous, Love waves cause more damage than Rayleigh waves. This is due to the nature of the wave motion as it moves forward. Love waves are transverse waves, meaning they move perpendicular to the direction the wave travels, while only operating on a horizontal plane.

Detailed explanation-4: -Love waves have a particle motion, which, like the S-wave, is transverse to the direction of propagation but with no vertical motion. Their side-to-side motion (like a snake wriggling) causes the ground to twist from side to side, that’s why Love waves cause the most damage to structures.

Detailed explanation-5: -P Waves. P waves are compressional waves that do not produce much damage. They can move through any type of material and travel at almost twice the speed of S waves. High frequency P waves do not weaken, or “attenuate, ” as rapidly as S waves so they retain higher frequencies when they arrive at seismic stations.