Question

Give geographical reasons:

L-waves do not have a shadow zone.

Answer 1

Since L-waves, also known as surface waves, only move over the Earth's surface and do not pass through its inner layers, they lack a shadow zone.

• L-waves stay on the surface, whereas P-waves and S-waves, which are body waves, are absorbed or refracted by the Earth's interior, forming shadow zones.
• There is no shadow zone since L-waves can be recorded from the epicentre in all directions because the surface is continuous rather than layered like the interior.