A seismic wave is an elastic disturbance that propagates through the Earth or along its surface as a result of sudden stress changes, typically from fault rupture, volcanic activity, or anthropogenic sources such as explosions. Governed by the equations of elastodynamics, seismic waves are categorized into body waves (P and S waves) and surface waves (Rayleigh and Love waves), each with distinct particle motion, dispersion, and attenuation characteristics. Their propagation properties—velocity, amplitude, frequency content, and scattering—are strongly controlled by the elastic moduli, density, anisotropy, and heterogeneity of the medium, making seismic waves a primary observational phenomenon in seismology and Earth structure studies.
The first studies of the 28 March 2025 magnitude 7.8 Myanmar earthquake suggest that the southern portion of its rupture occurred at supershear velocity, reaching speeds of 5 to 6 kilometers per second.
Earth Sciences
Jul 19, 2025
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Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, shifting tectonic plates—these are all signs that our planet is alive. But what is revealed deep inside Earth surprises laymen and scientists alike: Almost 3000 kilometers below Earth's surface, ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 5, 2025
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In September 2023, a bizarre global seismic signal was observed which appeared every 90 seconds over nine days—and was then repeated a month later. Almost a year later, two scientific studies proposed that the cause of these ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 3, 2025
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Seismological research is directly related to the incubation, occurrence, and evolution of earthquakes. Scientists seek to reveal potential earthquake precursors by monitoring the stress state of fault zones, thus providing ...
Earth Sciences
May 30, 2025
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A recent study has mathematically clarified how the presence of crystals and gas bubbles in magma affects the propagation of seismic P-waves. The researchers derived a new equation that characterizes the travel of these waves ...
Soft Matter
May 21, 2025
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Could the seismic signal of an underground nuclear test explosion be "hidden" by the signal generated by a natural earthquake?
Earth Sciences
Apr 24, 2025
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Meteoroid impacts create seismic waves that cause Mars to shake more strongly and deeply than previously thought. This is shown by an investigation using artificial intelligence carried out by an international research team ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 3, 2025
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