In the field of geophysics, particularly in seismology, Love waves are a type of seismic wave that was named in honor of the British mathematician and physicist Augustus Edward Hough Love. As a geophysics expert, I can explain that these waves are characterized by their horizontal polarization, meaning the motion of the particles during the wave's propagation is parallel to the Earth's surface. Love waves are surface waves, which means they travel along the boundary between two different media, in this case, typically the Earth's surface and the underlying layers of rock. When an earthquake occurs, Love waves are generated and they cause a horizontal shifting of the ground. This is in contrast to other types of seismic waves, such as P-waves (primary waves) and S-waves (secondary waves), which involve compressional and shear motions, respectively. In some contexts, Love waves are also referred to as Q-waves, with "Quer" being the German word for lateral, highlighting the lateral or horizontal motion associated with these waves. read more >>

In elastodynamics, Love waves, named after Augustus Edward Hough Love, are horizontally polarized surface waves. ... 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.read more >>