seismic wave

noun

1. a wave of energy that is generated by an earthquake or other earth vibration and that travels within the earth or along its surface.

seismic wave

noun

1. an earth vibration generated by an earthquake or explosion

Word History and Origins

Origin of seismic wave¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

If the lander does pick up the signal, it will tell scientists something about how fast seismic waves travel through the ground, a clue to the details of Mars’ interior structure.

From Science News

In some cases, we get this picture by waiting for a natural event to produce the seismic waves.

From Ars Technica

Because the seismic waves from those quakes traveled deep through Earth’s mantle on their way to the seismometers, the recorded tremors contained clues about the location and movement of material far below the seafloor.

From Science News

As a seismic wave oscillates through the ground, its high-frequency components lose energy faster than its low-energy components, said Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and volcanologist at Western Washington University.

From Quanta Magazine

Two components of seismic waves, P and S waves, move at different speeds.

From Quanta Magazine