Which Seismic Waves Move Side to Side?

Maya Lin-Takahashi
Maya Lin-Takahashi
• • 7 min read

S Waves Shake the Ground in a Shearing, or Crosswise, Motion That Is Perpendicular to the Direction of Travel. These Are the Shake Waves That Move the Ground...

Which Seismic Waves Move Side to Side?

S waves shake the ground in a shearing, or crosswise, motion that is perpendicular to the direction of travel. These are the shake waves that move the ground up and down or from side to side. S waves are called secondary waves

secondary waves
shear wave, transverse wave that occurs in an elastic medium when it is subjected to periodic shear. Shear is the change of shape, without change of volume, of a layer of the substance, produced by a pair of equal forces acting in opposite directions along the two faces of the layer.
› science › shear-wave
because they always arrive after P waves at seismic recording stations.

Which seismic wave travels side to side?

S-wave : The S-wave (secondary, shear, or side-to-side wave) is slower than the P wave and arrives next, shaking the ground up and down and back and forth perpendicular to the direction it is traveling. Shear waves travel at 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) per second.

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Which seismic waves move side to side rather than back and forth?

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. Picking up the Slinky again, move it left and right, rather than forward and back.

Maya Lin-Takahashi

Maya Lin-Takahashi

Consumer Tech & Gadget Reviewer
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Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.