Love wave  (lŭv) Pronunciation Key
A type of seismic surface wave in which particles move with a side-to-side motion perpendicular to the main propagation of the earthquake. The amplitude of this motion decreases with depth. Love waves cause the rocks they pass through to change in shape. They travel faster than Rayleigh waves. Love waves are named after their discoverer, British mathematician Augustus Love (1863-1940). |