By the time that the first seismographs were operational (1889) the mathematical theory of elastic waves was well developed and available for use in interpretation. The complexity of seismic records then encouraged further research into the propagation of elastic waves in stratified media, which has enabled the computation of theoretical seismograms for complex stratified media.
Much of the early work on elastic waves was inspired by trying to understand the propagation of light by using the model of a crystalline medium. Thus Green in 1838 made a detailed study of two-dimensional wave propagation. He introduced the concept of a strain energy function and showed that 21 elastic constants were needed for an anisotropic medium, which reduced to 2 for isotropy. Green isolated P, SV, and SH plane wave components and established the equations that hold at a planar interface between two dissimilar media. He did not attempt to solve these equations. Knott, in 1899, appears to have been the...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aki, K., and P. G. Richards, 1980. Quantitative Seismology: Theory and Methods, 2 vols. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 932 p.
Alterman, Z., H. Jarosch, and C. L. Pekeris, 1959, Oscillations of the Earth, Royal Soc. [London] Proc. 252A, 80–95.
Cagniard, L., 1939, Réflexion et Refraction des Ondes Séismiques Progressives. Paris: Gauthier-Villars.
Červený, V., and R. Ravindra, 1975, The Theory of Seismic Head Waves. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Ewing, W. M., W. S. Jardetsky, and F. Press, 1957, Elastic Waves in Layered Medias. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gilbert, F., and G. E. Backus, 1966, Propagator matrices in elastic wave and vibration problems, Geophysics 31, 326–332.
Hudson, J. A., 1980, The Excitation and Propagation of Elastic Waves. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kennett, B. L. N., 1983, Seismic Wave Propagation in Stratified Media. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lamb, H., 1904, On the propagation of tremors over the surface of an elastic solid, Royal Soc. London Philos. Trans. 203A, 1–42.
Love, A. E. H., 1911, Some Problems of Geodynamics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rayleigh, Lord, 1885, On waves propagated along the plane surface of an elastic solid, London Math. Soc. Proc. 17, 4–11.
Cross-references
Controlled Source Seismology; Deep Seismic-Reflection Profiling; Earthquake Seismology; Earth Structure: Global; Elasticity and Wave Propagation: Principles; Exploration Seismology; Finite-Difference Forward Modeling in Seismology; Free Oscillations of the Earth; Seismic Monitoring of Nuclear Explosions; Seismic Ray Theory; Seismic Wavefield Migration; Seismic Wave Scattering; Seismograms: Interpretation; Seismograms: Synthetic; Surface Waves.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Van Nostrand Reinhold
About this entry
Cite this entry
Kennett, B.L.N. (1989). Elastic waves in homogeneous and inhomogeneous media . In: Geophysics. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30752-4_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30752-4_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-442-24366-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-30752-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive