Model studies of the systematics of elementary atom–solid energy exchange processes are presented. The studies are based on the generalized Langevin equation (GLE) classical trajectory method [S. A. Adelman and J. D. Doll, J. Chem. Phys. 64, 2375 (1976)] and on a full isotropic continuum elastic treatment of both bulk and surface solid atom velocity response functions ? (t). Within both bulk (BEM) and surface (SEM) elastic models, the solid dynamics is parameterized by two bulk properties, a Debye frequency ωD and a transverse to longitudinal sound velocity ratio Rs. The Debye model used in earlier GLE simulations is a specialization of the BEM, Rs=1.0, and thus does not include surface effects, e. g., Rayleigh waves, accounted for in the SEM. The main results of the trajectory studies are as follows: Gas–solid energy transfer efficiency within the BEM depends very sensitively on Rs (for fixed ωD). For physical Rs values ∼0.2–0.6, BEM energy transfer is often much larger than Debye energy transfer. SEM energy transfer is relatively insensitive to Rs and is, moreover, dominated by the Rayleigh mode contribution to ? (t). The SEM energy transfer is often fortuitously of comparable magnitude to Debye energy transfer.