Surface waves compared to body waves are:

• A. Slower, and cause more damage
• B. Slower, and cause less damage
• C. Faster, and cause more damage
• D. Faster, and cause less damage

Answer: (A)

Surface waves are the slowest among earthquake waves, and they tend to cause the most damage at the ground surface. P-waves (compressional) travel fastest, followed by S-waves (shear), while surface waves—the Rayleigh and Love types—move more slowly but shake the ground with larger amplitudes once the waves reach the surface. Their motion is often rolling or swaying, and soft near-surface soils can amplify this shaking, producing long-duration ground motion that resonates with buildings. That combination—slow speed but strong, surface-concentrated shaking—explains why surface waves are typically most damaging, even though they carry less energy than body waves into the deeper Earth.