GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Surface waves move more slowly than P waves and S waves, but they produce the most severe ground movements.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -An earthquake also causes secondary or shear waves, called S waves. These travel at about half the speed of P waves, but can be much more destructive. S waves move the earth perpendicularly to the direction the wave is traveling.

Detailed explanation-4: -It is the surface waves which cause most property damage because surface waves produce more ground movement and travel more slowly, so they take longer to pass.

Detailed explanation-5: -Surface waves are a type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach Earth’s surface. These waves move more slowly than the two, but they produce the most severe ground movements.