Curated Video
Seismic waves
Sound-like waves that travel through the ground from an earthquake or other source of vibration. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise textual definitions. Twig...
Curated Video
GCSE Physics - Seismic Waves #75
This video covers: - The two types of seismic (earthquake) waves: S waves and P waves - How we can detect seismic waves with seismometers - How waves are refracted as they pass through the earth - How scientists used this information to...
Professor Dave Explains
Earthquakes and Seismology in Earth’s Interior
We just learned about all the layers of the Earth, but how did we accumulate this information? How do we know the composition of these layers and the depths at which they occur? The answer is seismology! Let's learn about the different...
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Iris: Focal Mechanisms Explained
Focal mechanisms are based on the direction of the first arriving P wave. This animation walks the viewer through steps to understand how scientists know what kind of fault motion occurred deep underground. [6:35]
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Seismic Waves and How We Know Earth's Structure: Seismic Waves
Video lecture explores S-waves and P-waves. [8:38]
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Iris: 4 Station Seismograph Network Records a Single Earthquake
See a cow and a tree in this narrated cartoon for fun and to emphasize that seismic waves traveling away from an earthquake occur everywhere, not just at seismic stations. [1:31]
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Iris: Types of Seismic Wave Paths Through the Earth
Video lecture describing speeds and paths of different seismic waves within Earth from an earthquake to a distant seismic station. P & S waves travel through the Earth; Surface waves travel around the perimeter of the Earth. [1:44]
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Iris: Seismic Waves: P, S, and Surface
Video lecture on wave motions and speeds of three fundamental kinds of seismic waves: Primary (P = pressure) waves; Secondary (S = shear); and Surface waves. [3:10]
Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
Iris: Exploring Seismic Waves With Slinkys
This demonstration shows that seismic waves propagate in all directions in the Earth from the source (not just in the direction of a single slinky). [5:13]
Other
Joides Resolution: P Wave Velocity
How fast does sound travel through the rocks? And how does seismic velocity vary through different depths? See how scientists measure individual pieces of seafloor samples to get a better understanding of how the cores are related to...