1. n. [Geophysics]
A type of vertical seismic profile in which the source is a shear-wave source rather than a compressional-wave source. Shear waves travel through the Earth at about half the speed of compressional waves and respond differently to fluid-filled rock, and so can provide different additional information about lithology and fluid content of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs.
See: P-wave, S-wave, source, vertical seismic profile, wave