Seismic waves:Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers.Seismic waves are caused by the sudden movement of materials within the Earth, such as slipping along a fault during an earthquake, Volcanic eruptions, explosions, landslides, avalanches, and even rushing rivers can also cause seismic waves.Types of seismic waves:There are three basic types of seismic waves: P-waves, S-waves, and surface waves.P-waves and S-waves are sometimes collectively called body waves.Additional InformationP -waves:P-waves, also known as primary waves or pressure waves, travel at the greatest velocity through the Earth.When they travel through the air, they take the form of sound waves ‚¬€œ they travel at the speed of sound (330 ms-1) through the air but may travel at 5000 ms-1 in granite.Because of their speed, they are the first waves to be recorded by a seismograph during an earthquake.S-waves:S-waves, also known as secondary waves, shear waves, or shaking waves, are transverse waves that travel slower than P-waves.In this case, particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.S- Waves arrive after some time after the happening of the Earthquake and they are called secondary waves.A significant characteristic of these S-waves is that they travel only through a solid medium.The direction of vibration of these S ‚¬€œ waves is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation, thereby creating crests and troughs in the material of their transmission.Surface waves:Surface waves are similar in nature to water waves and travel just under the Earths surface.They are typically generated when the source of the earthquake is close to the Earths surface.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 the ground roll, travel as ripples similar to those on the surface of the water.Love waves cause horizontal shearing of the ground. They usually travel slightly faster than Rayleigh waves.