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The linear elastic wave equation is $\rho {\mathbf{u}}_{tt}=(\lambda +\mu )\nabla (\nabla \cdot \mathbf{u})+\mu \Delta \mathbf{u}$. For a shear-horizontal wave, take $\mathbf{u}=(0,v(x,z,t),0)$ with no $y$ dependence. Its divergence vanishes, andRigid fixed boundaries require $v=0$ at $z=0,h$. The modes are $v=A\sin (q_{n}z)\cos (kx-{\omega }_{n}t)$ with $q_n=n\pi /h$, $n=1,2,\dots$, andThere is no $n=0$ displacement mode with these clamped boundary conditions. For $k>0$, the phase velocity and group velocity areThe phase velocity decreases from infinity to $c_s$, while the group velocity increases from zero to $c_s$; their product is $c_s^2$.

For a mode of frequency $\omega$, the appropriate time and cross-sectional average is $⟨A⟩=\omega /(2\pi h){\int }_0^{2\pi /\omega }{\int }_0^{h}Adzdt$, per unit transverse width. Its average kinetic energy density is $\rho A^2{\omega }^2/8$. The only nonzero strains are $e_{xy}=e_{yx}=v_x/2$ and $e_{yz}=e_{zy}=v_z/2$, while $e_{kk}=0$. Thus the elastic energy density is $\mu (v_x^2+v_z^2)/2$, whose average is $\mu A^2(k^2+q_n^2)/8$. The dispersion relation proves equality of average kinetic and elastic energies.

For the ray asymptotics of a clamped elastic waveguide mode, expand the localized initial displacement in transverse sine modes and Fourier transform in $x$. For a displacement released from rest, each mode evolves with $\cos ({\omega }_n(k)t)$. At $x=Vt$ the oscillatory phases are $t(kV\pm {\omega }_n(k))$. If $0<|V|<c_s$, one phase has a stationary point withThe stationary phase method gives a generic oscillatory amplitude proportional to $t^{-1/2}$ for each contributing mode. If the initial Fourier coefficient vanishes at the stationary point, that mode can decay faster; smooth localized data make the modal sum well behaved. If $|V|>c_s$, there is no stationary point. Repeated integration by parts gives rapid decay for smooth rapidly decaying data; for initially compactly supported displacement, finite propagation speed makes the displacement on that ray exactly zero after a sufficiently long time. These are the requested subsonic and super-shear-speed regimes.

Take a shear-horizontal wave polarized in the $z$ direction,Then $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{u}=0$, and the elastic-wave equation reduces toFor $w=Y(y)e^{i(kx-\omega t)}$, the rigid boundary gives $Y(0)=0$, while vanishing shear traction at the free surface gives $Y^{\prime }(h)=0$. ThusThe dispersion relation of each guided shear-horizontal mode is

A shear-horizontal wave mode has ${\omega }_n(k)=c_s\sqrt{k^2+(n\pi /h{)}^2}$. At $x=Vt$ with $0<|V|<c_s$, a nondegenerate stationary Fourier phase gives generic $t^{-1/2}$ decay. Faster rays have no stationary point; compactly supported data give eventual zero by finite propagation speed.