Talk:Seismic wave
From Academic Kids
Surface waves do NOT cause most damage in earthquakes. High horizontal accelerations responsible for most damage are associated with shear waves (S-waves). Some geologists think that, because the surface wave traces are largest on seismograms from distance earthquakes, that surface waves cause the damage. Although the displacement of surface waves is usually higher than that of shear waves at teleseismic distances, horizontal accelerations are highest in the near field when the shear waves arrive, and these high horizontal accelerations do the damage.
This error has propagated through generations of physical geology textbooks.
Some seismologists are looking into a new kind of surface wave called a basin-generated wave, but strong motion seismograms usually reveal that the damaging motions are inconsistent with classical Love or Rayleigh waves, the surface waves well recorded hundred to thousands of kilometers from large earthquakes.
Shear wave amplification and resonance in the soft sediments of deep basins is a well know and understood phenomenon.
