Brief Summary on Seismology

This article has a brief summary of ‘Seismology’. Aspirants can find notes on Indian Geography at the linked article.

What is Seismology?

• Seismology is the study of earthquakes

  How is it measured ?                             

• They are recorded through an instrument called Seismograph

  What is an Earthquake ?

• Earthquake is caused due to the sudden release of the enormous amount of energy accumulated within the Earth.
• It results in the outflow of energy in the form of Seismic waves.

  Types of Seismic Waves ?

BODY WAVES 

They reach the Earth’s surface first.

  P WAVES

• Also known as Primary Wave/ Compressional wave.
• It is a type of body wave.
• It can move through both the states, i.e solids and liquids.

S WAVES

• Also known as secondary waves.
• They can move only through solids.

SURFACE WAVES

• They arrive after the body waves
• They are the most destructive

LOVE WAVES

• It is a kind of Surface wave.
• It’s the fastest surface wave.
• The direction of it’s movement is from side-to-side.

RAYLEIGH WAVES

• It moves in both side-to-side as well as up and down direction.

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