Open AccessPolarization of Transverse Seismic Waves
Author(s) -
Båth Markus
Publication year - 1937
Publication title -
geophysical journal international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0956-540X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1937.tb07107.x
Subject(s) - transverse plane , polarization (electrochemistry) , transverse wave , seismic wave , dispersive body waves , geophysics , wave propagation , geology , longitudinal wave , physics , optics , structural engineering , chemistry , engineering
Summary A theoretical investigation is made of the changes of the polarization of transverse seismic waves during their propagation through the Earth. The polarizations have been computed theoretically and numerically for reflexion at the core boundary and at the Earth's surface, for refraction and reflexion at the base of the crust and for passages through continuously varying media. It is demonstrated that great changes of the vibration properties (vibration angle and particle orbit) may occur in all cases except for continuously varying media, through which transverse waves propagate with practically unchanged vibration properties. The consequences of these results for earthquake mechanism studies, based on transverse waves, are discussed.