A Love wave is a surface wave having a horizontal motion that is transverse (or perpendicular) to the direction the wave is traveling. (Image courtesy of European Center for Geodynamics and Seismology)

Who discovered Love waves?

Augustus Edward Hough Love, (born April 17, 1863, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England—died June 5, 1940, Oxford), British geophysicist and mathematician who discovered a major type of seismic wave that was subsequently named for him.

Why are Love waves the most destructive?

Love waves have a particle motion, which, like the S-wave, is transverse to the direction of propagation but with no vertical motion. Their side-to-side motion (like a snake wriggling) causes the ground to twist from side to side, that’s why Love waves cause the most damage to structures.