Seismic waves are waves produced by earthquakes. This occurs
when rocks under the earth suddenly break or explode. There are two MAIN TYPES
of seismic waves called body waves and surface waves.
Body waves have the capacity to travel through the Earth's
inner layers. They have a higher frequency and they are the ones that first
occur under water at the onset of an earthquake. They can be subdivided
into two types, the primary and secondary waves that arrive at seismic records
one after another.
Surface waves can only traverse through the surface of the planet like ripples
in the water. These waves can easily be detected on a seismogram result. These
waves arrive after body waves and they are the ones mostly responsible for
damages and destruction bought by earthquakes.
