What type of waves carry the energy released during an earthquake?

Seismic waves are the type of waves that carry the energy released during an earthquake. When an earthquake occurs, the stress built up in the Earth's crust is suddenly released, generating these waves that travel through the Earth and its surface. Seismic waves can be classified into different types, primarily body waves (which include P-waves and S-waves) and surface waves.

P-waves are compressional waves that move through solids, liquids, and gases, while S-waves are shear waves that only move through solids. Surface waves travel along the Earth's surface and typically cause the most damage during an earthquake due to their larger amplitude and slower speed.

In contrast, sound waves are mechanical waves that require a medium such as air or water to travel and are not directly associated with the energy released in an earthquake. Electromagnetic waves, on the other hand, do not require a medium and include phenomena such as light and radio waves, but they do not account for the seismic energy released by tectonic movements. Surface waves, although a type of seismic wave, are a subset rather than the broad category that seismic waves represent. Thus, seismic waves encompass all forms of waves generated by the earthquake's energy release.