Seismic Waves

and
Seismographs
Physics of Waves
 Wave Simulations
Colorado School of Mines Tutorial

Wave Basics
 Elastic Materials
L

F
strain

L

F = k * L/L (Hooke’s Law)

strain
k = Young’s modulus
Rand quartzite
Stress = F/A = K u/x= Strain
 Elastic Waves
Force = Mass x Acceleration (Newton rules!)

F(x) F (x+dx)
A

x u u+ du
x + dx
Net force = F(x+dx) – F(x) = F = [*Area*dx] *acceleration

F/x = * acceleration * Area]

but F = Stress/Area = K *u/x (Hookes law) so

K * u/xx = K u2/x2 =  * u2/t2

i.e. a wave equation where V= (k)1/2
 Seismic Wave Equation

d2u/dx2 = (/k) du2/dt2

which has solutions of the form

U(x,t) = A e-i(kx-t) + Be-i(k+t)

 Seismic Waves

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC202Notes/quakes.htm
Seismic Waves
P

Body
S

Love

Surface

Rayleigh
Surface (Rayleigh) Waves
Seismic Wave Speeds
Material P wave Velocity (m/s) S wave Velocity (m/s)

Air 332

Water 1400-1500

Petroleum 1300-1400

Steel 6100 3500

Concrete 3600 2000

Granite 5500-5900 2800-3000

Basalt 6400 3200

Sandstone 1400-4300 700-2800

Limestone 5900-6100 2800-3000

Sand (Unsaturated) 200-1000 80-400

Sand (Saturated) 800-2200 320-880

Clay 1000-2500 400-1000

Glacial Till (Saturated) 1500-2500 600-1000

P vs S
 Seismometry

earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/games/
coloring/seismograph.gif

www.gpc.peachnet.edu/~pgore/ geology/geo101/quakelec.htm
Pendulum Seismograph

T= 2 L/g

For T= 1 sec, L = .2 m

T= 20 sec, L = 99 m

www.psd.wednet.edu/jrsrhigh/ science/seismograph.GIF
 Seismograph Response

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC202Notes/quakes.htm
Seismograph Response Curve

www.geophys.uni-stuttgart.de/.../ man_html/node10.html
 Dispersion
Love Waves

Kanamori and Abe (1968) Oliver (1962)

Fig. 2.8-4 Stein and Wysession (2003)
Vertical Seismograph

Bolt, 1993
Horizontal Seismograph
(Swinging gate)

library.thinkquest.org/ 15616/aard4n.html
Seismic Station
Seismic Pier

Remote Display
Seismometer/graph Menagerie