seismic waves
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Seismic waves travel through the Earth and can be detected far from their source.
Most of our knowledge of the Earth's interior comes from studying seismic waves.
The measurement of seismic waves is also important in detecting underground nuclear tests.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Northern Oregon experiences relatively little seismic activity compared with western Washington and northern California, leaving researchers with fewer earthquakes to use when studying the buried slab and the way seismic waves move through the region.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
"Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred."
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“The passage of seismic waves from the first earthquake could have rattled nearby faults already prone to a rupture.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The area is mountainous, while Caracas is built on a plain where the sediment can amplify seismic waves and worsen damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The movement produces what is known as seismic waves.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
