This study focuses on the propagation of vibrations generated during the operation of urban subway systems in the form of stress waves through the surrounding soil. The aim is to investigate and utilize the soil stress waves generated by subway vibrations for geological exploration around tunnels. The research begins by studying the propagation characteristics of stress waves generated by subway excitations in the soil to reveal their fundamental variations. Concrete slabs are excited using a shaker to simulate subway vibrations, and soil stress wave signal data are collected from different angles using a Laser Doppler Vibrometer(LDV) for analysis. The research findings indicate that the energy of soil stress wave signals exponentially attenuates with increasing distance from the vibration source, and higher excitation frequencies result in faster attenuation. In the direction perpendicular to the propagation of stress waves, the energy of the signals exhibits a characteristic normal distribution as the distance between measurement points and the central point increases. The arrival time of stress wave signals is extracted using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) method, and the wave velocity is calculated. It is observed that the stress wave velocity increases with higher excitation frequencies, indicating the dispersive nature of stress wave propagation in the soil. As the distance from the vibration source increases, the main frequency range of soil stress wave signals shifts towards lower frequencies, while the main frequency range of signals in the direction perpendicular to the signal propagation remains relatively consistent. The dominant stress waves that stably propagate to the ground are mainly low-frequency signals at 50 Hz, which can be used for detecting anomalies within the soil with a minimum scale of 0.6 m. Scanning of stress wave field maps on the surface of the soil using a LDV demonstrates that the energy of the wave field is concentrated near the surface of the soil. The scanned wave field maps visualize the propagation state of stress waves in real soil, and the obtained results can be used to validate computer simulation results. The findings of this study are of significant reference value for further exploration and utilization of soil stress waves generated by subway vibrations for geological exploration.