In
elastodynamics,
Love waves, named after
Augustus Edward Hough Love, are horizontally
polarized surface waves. The Love wave is a result of the
interference of many
shear waves (S–waves) guided by an elastic layer, which is
welded to an elastic half space on one side while bordering a vacuum on the other side. In
seismology,
Love waves (also known as
Q waves (
Quer: German for lateral)) are
surface seismic waves that cause horizontal shifting of the Earth during an
earthquake. Augustus Edward Hough Love predicted the existence of Love waves mathematically in 1911. They form a distinct class, different from other types of
seismic waves, such as
P-waves and
S-waves (both
body waves), or
Rayleigh waves (another type of surface wave). Love waves travel with a lower velocity than P- or S- waves, but faster than Rayleigh waves. These waves are observed only when there is a low velocity layer overlying a high velocity layer/ sub–layers.