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Although surface waves travel more slowly than S-waves, they can be much larger in amplitude and can be the most destructive type of seismic wave. There are two basic kinds of surface waves: Rayleigh waves, also called ground roll, travel as ripples similar to those on the surface of water.

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Q: Why are surface waves more destructive to buildings than p waves are so s waves are?
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Related questions

Which are more destructive body waves or surface waves?

Surface waves.


Why are surface waves more destructive to building than p waves or s waves?

they are more destructive because they are on the suface and because they are slower


Why are surface waves more destructive to building s than P waves or S waves are?

they are more destructive because they are on the suface and because they are slower


Why are surface waves more destructive to building p waves or s waves?

Because surface waves have a larger amplitude and thus more energy and so can cause more damage than P and S waves. they are more destructive because they are on the suface and because they are slowerRate This Answer


Which waves are more destructive p waves or s waves?

s waves I think because they move from side to side and they knock over buildings.


Why are surface waves more destructive to building than p waves or s waves are?

Surface waves stem from body waves(P and S waves) that reach the surface. Because of their low frequency, long duration, and large amplitude, the Surface waves can be the most destructive type of seismic wave.


Why are surface waves the most destructive waves?

Surface waves travel more slowly than body waves but are mor distructive. Most of the damage during an earthquake comes from surface waves which can literally shake the ground out from under a building.


Why are s waves more destructive than P waves?

S-waves move side to side, not up and down (P-waves). Buildings can go up and down without a problem, not side to side.


Why are surface waves more detructive to buildings tan p waves or s waves are?

Because of their low frequency, long duration, and large amplitude


Why are Love waves and Rayleigh waves more destructive than P-waves and S-waves?

Love and Rayleigh waves are also known as surface waves as they travel along the surface of the earth. As the earth's surface is a free boundary, these surface waves have a larger amplitude than P and S (or body waves)which travel through the earth's interior. The amplitude of a wave is related to the amount of energy it has, where high amplitude waves have more energy! This means that the high amplitude high energy surface waves are capable of transferring more energy into structures or other objects on the surface and so can do more damage.


What waves affect tall buildings more?

The seismic waves affect tall buildings more. It is because shaking may cause them to collide.


What causes seismic waves during an earthquake?

The seismic waves that cause the majority of damage in earthquakes are the surface waves of which there are two types.Rayleigh waves.Love waves.Surface waves have high amplitudes (which in turn means they have a large amount of energy).These high amplitude surface waves cause surface deformations. Rayleigh waves are very similar to the waves you would see on the surface of water. Love waves are surface shear waves and are similar to the waves you would get if you stretched out a slinky spring then shook one end from side to side.These surface movements create large torsional and shear stresses in buildings and building foundations which are far in excess of what the normal design tolerances would be. As such they are much more likely to cause failure of structures to occur. This is why, in earthquake prone areas such as California, the buildings must be designed to resist these special stresses created by seismic waves as well as the more normal loads caused by the wind and the structures self weight.Please see the related links for more information on the differing types of surface waves.