The preferred embodiment of this invention includes a logging sonde, an elongated pair of oppositely polarized piezoelectric plates connected to each other by their flat surfaces, and an electrical pulse applying means for applying electrical pulses across the pair of plates so as to bend and vibrate the plates in a direction perpendicular to the length of the plates. Vibration of the plates in a fluid contained in a well creates in the fluid a positive compressional wave in one direction and simultaneously a negative compressional wave in the opposite direction. The two compressional waves will interfere to produce a dipole shear wave in the earth surrounding the well. The dipole shear wave arrival is detected at two locations in the fluid spaced longitudinally along the well from each other and from the plate. The ratio of the time interval between the detections of the dipole shear wave arrival at the two locations to the distance between the two locations yields the shear wave velocity of the earth around the well. The length of the plates may be selected to generate dipole shear waves with frequencies in a preferred range so as to improve shear wave signal to compressional wave noise ratio.