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The Moho marks the transition in composition between the Earth's crust and the lithospheric mantle. Immediately above the Moho, the velocities of primary seismic waves (P-waves) are consistent with those through basalt (6.7–7.2 km/s), and below they are similar to those through peridotite or dunite (7.6–8.6 km/s). [5]
Variations in wave speed, influenced by differences in material density and state (solid, liquid, or gas), alter wave paths through refraction and reflection, as described by Snell's Law. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] P-waves, which can move through all states of matter and provide data on a range of depths, change speed based on the material's properties ...
P wave and S wave from seismograph Velocity of seismic waves in Earth versus depth. [1] The negligible S-wave velocity in the outer core occurs because it is liquid, while in the solid inner core the S-wave velocity is non-zero. A seismic wave is a mechanical wave of acoustic energy that travels through the Earth or another planetary body.
Earth's outer core is a fluid layer about 2,260 km (1,400 mi) in height (i.e. distance from the highest point to the lowest point at the edge of the inner core) [36% of the Earth's radius, 15.6% of the volume] and composed of mostly iron and nickel that lies above Earth's solid inner core and below its mantle. [31]
Seismic waves would travel in straight lines if Earth was of uniform composition, but structural, chemical, and thermal variations affect the properties of seismic waves, most importantly their velocity, leading to the reflection and refraction of these waves. The location and magnitude of variations in the subsurface can be calculated by the ...
The P wave is the first wave that is bigger than the other waves (the microseisms). Because P waves are the fastest seismic waves, they will usually be the first ones that the seismograph records. The next set of seismic waves on the seismogram will be the S waves. These are usually bigger than the P waves, and have higher frequency.
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This P wave speed anisotropy has been confirmed by later studies, including more seismic data [19] and study of the free oscillations of the whole Earth. [21] Some authors have claimed higher values for the difference, up to 4.8%; however, in 2017 Daniel Frost and Barbara Romanowicz confirmed that the value is between 0.5% and 1.5%.