How do seismic waves affect rock as they travel through it?

Question

Leo Arens · Accepted Answer

There are several kinds of seismic waves, but we’ll stick to two.

Primary waves (p-waves) are longitudinal or compression waves, meaning that the rock oscillates parallel to the wave's direction of travel. Because they move through the crust slightly faster than other wave types, they tend to arrive first, giving rise to their name, and because they originate from below, they cause relatively little damage and cause buildings and other objects to jump vertically. A considerable amount of damage (buildings are much weaker in this mode of oscillation) and the majority of deaths and injuries are caused by secondary waves (s-waves), which arrive some time later (usually several seconds, but it varies). These waves are transverse (their displacement is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the wave) and cause the ground to tremble. I hope that's useful.

Victoria Argento · Answer

undefined Seismic waves can cause rocks to deform, fracture, or break. The intensity of these effects depends on the rock's composition, density, and structure.