Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Refraction

By Earthquake Hazards Program 2021 (approx.)
Illustration showing an angled downward vector in two scenarios: The first shows a vector going through Rock Type 1 and then getting a less steep slope in Rock Type 2, meaning the velocity in rock type 2 is greater than velocity in rock type 1; and the second shows a vector going through Rock Type 1 and then getting a more steep slope in Rock Type 2, meaning the velocity in rock type 2 is less than velocity in rock type 1
Original Thumbnail Medium

Detailed Description

Refraction is (1) the deflection, or bending, of the ray path of a seismic wave caused by its passage from one material to another having different elastic properties. (2) bending of a tsunami wave front owing to variations in the water depth along a coastline.

Sources/Usage

Image courtesy Charles Ammon, Penn State