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.
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
Andrew’s humiliation makes it clear that, six years after Epstein’s death, the scandal continues to create seismic waves of social and political destruction.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
Most residents of the state are accustomed to the idea of earthquakes, but scientists say a particularly dangerous type has been largely ignored: "supershear" earthquakes that move so quickly they overtake their own seismic waves.
From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025
Shallow earthquakes are common in the country and are more destructive, as seismic waves have less of a distance to travel to the Earth's surface and therefore retain much of their power.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025
When the first seismic waves reached the power plant at Fukushima Daiichi, fail-safe systems shut down the reactors.
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.
