SEISMIC WAVES FROM A TRANSDUCER AT THE SURFACE OF STRATIFIED GROUND

Geophysics ◽  
1956 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 939-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. F. Evison

Vibration impulses of variable frequency and duration have been generated by means of an electrically excited vibrator and the resulting seismic waves recorded at the ground surface along a 200‐ft traverse. The first arrivals were refractions from the water table and a deeper clay‐siltstone interface, and these checked with the results of a standard refraction survey. The amplitudes of displacement of the refracted waves varied in each case with approximately the inverse square of distance; the critical distance was marked by a discontinuity of amplitude. Two later impulsive arrivals recorded within 50 msec of the first were interpreted respectively as a transformed reflection from 85 ft depth and an ordinary compressional reflection from 200 ft depth. A dispersive Rayleigh wave gave an independent estimate of the shear velocity and thickness of the surface layer. Air‐coupled waves of frequencies 70.8 cps and 330 cps were recorded and have been related to the first‐ and third‐mode Rayleigh waves respectively.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhitu Ma ◽  
Colleen Dalton ◽  
Joshua Russell ◽  
James Gaherty ◽  
Greg Hirth ◽  
...  

<p>We determine the mantle attenuation (1/Q) structure beneath 70 Myr seafloor in the central Pacific. We use long-period (33-100 sec) Rayleigh waves recorded by the NoMelt array of broadband ocean-bottom seismometers. After the removal of tilt and compliance noise, we are able to measure Rayleigh wave phase and amplitude for 125 earthquakes. The compliance correction for ocean wave pressure on the seafloor is particularly important for improving signal-to-noise at periods longer than 55 sec. Attenuation and azimuthally anisotropic phase velocity in the study area are determined by approximating the wavefield as the interference of two plane waves. We find that the amplitude decay of Rayleigh waves across the NoMelt array can be adequately explained using a two-layer model: in the shallow layer, in the deeper layer, and a transition depth at 70 km, although the sharpness of the transition is not well resolved by the Rayleigh wave data. Notably, observed in the NoMelt lithosphere is significantly higher than values in this area from global attenuation models. When compared with lithospheric measured at higher frequency (~3 Hz), the frequency dependence of attenuation is very slight, revising previous interpretations. The effect of anelasticity on shear velocity (V<sub>S</sub>) is estimated from the ratio of observed velocity to the predicted anharmonic value. We use laboratory-based parameters to predict attenuation and velocity-dispersion spectra that result from the superposition of a weakly frequency dependent high-temperature background and an absorption peak. We test a large range of frequencies for the position of the absorption peak (<em>f</em><sub>e</sub>) and determine, at each depth, which values of <em>f</em><sub>e</sub> predict and V<sub>S</sub> that can fit the NoMelt and V<sub>S </sub>values simultaneously. We show that between depths of 60 and 80 km the seismic models require an increase in <em>f</em><sub>e</sub> by at least 3-4 orders of magnitude. Under the assumption that the absorption peak is caused by elastically accommodated grain-boundary sliding, this increase in <em>f</em><sub>e</sub> reflects a decrease in grain-boundary viscosity of 3-4 orders of magnitude. A likely explanation is an increase in the water content of the mantle, with the base of the dehydrated lid located at ~70-km depth.   </p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Kuznetsov ◽  
Aybek E. Nafasov

The basic idea of a seismic barrier is to protect an area occupied by a building or a group of buildings from seismic waves. Depending on nature of seismic waves that are most probable in a specific region, different kinds of seismic barriers can be suggested. Herein, we consider a kind of a seismic barrier that represents a relatively thin surface layer that prevents surface seismic waves from propagating. The ideas for these barriers are based on one Chadwick's result concerning nonpropagation condition for Rayleigh waves in a clamped half-space, and Love's theorem that describes condition of nonexistence for Love waves. The numerical simulations reveal that to be effective the length of the horizontal barriers should be comparable to the typical wavelength.


1952 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-144
Author(s):  
W. S. Jardetzky ◽  
Frank Press

Abstract The theory of dispersive Rayleigh waves coupled to atmospheric compressional waves is derived for the case of a solid surface layer. Numerical computation of phase and group velocity curves indicates that an additional branch may be introduced to the dispersion curves as a result of air coupling. Amplitudes of waves propagated according to the various branches are briefly discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hengxin Ren ◽  
Ling Zeng ◽  
Yao-Chong Sun ◽  
Ken’ichi Yamazaki ◽  
Qinghua Huang ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this paper, numerical computations are carried out to investigate the seismo-electromagnetic signals arising from the motional induction effect due to an earthquake source embedded in 3-D multi-layered media. First, our numerical computation approach that combines discrete wavenumber method, peak-trough averaging method, and point source stacking method is introduced in detail. The peak-trough averaging method helps overcome the slow convergence problem, which occurs when the source–receiver depth difference is small, allowing us to consider any focus depth. The point source stacking method is used to deal with a finite fault. Later, an excellent agreement between our method and the curvilinear grid finite-difference method for the seismic wave solutions is found, which to a certain degree verifies the validity of our method. Thereafter, numerical computation results of an air–solid two-layer model show that both a receiver below and another one above the ground surface will record electromagnetic (EM) signals showing up at the same time as seismic waves, that is, the so-called coseismic EM signals. These results suggest that the in-air coseismic magnetic signals reported previously, which were recorded by induction coils hung on trees, can be explained by the motional induction effect or maybe other seismo-electromagnetic coupling mechanisms. Further investigations of wave-field snapshots and theoretical analysis suggest that the seismic-to-EM conversion caused by the motional induction effect will give birth to evanescent EM waves when seismic waves arrive at an interface with an incident angle greater than the critical angle θc = arcsin(Vsei/Vem), where Vsei and Vem are seismic wave velocity and EM wave velocity, respectively. The computed EM signals in air are found to have an excellent agreement with the theoretically predicted amplitude decay characteristic for a single frequency and single wavenumber. The evanescent EM waves originating from a subsurface interface of conductivity contrast will contribute to the coseismic EM signals. Thus, the conductivity at depth will affect the coseismic EM signals recorded nearby the ground surface. Finally, a fault rupture spreading to the ground surface, an unexamined case in previous numerical computations of seismo-electromagnetic signals, is considered. The computation results once again indicate the motional induction effect can contribute to the coseismic EM signals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (03) ◽  
pp. 1850007 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Narayan ◽  
A. Kumar

The effects of ridge and valley on the characteristics of Rayleigh waves are presented in this paper. The research work carried out has been stimulated by the day by day increase of long-span structures in the hilly areas which are largely affected by the spatial variability in ground motion caused by the high-frequency Rayleigh waves. The Rayleigh wave responses of the considered triangular and elliptical ridge and valley models were computed using a fourth-order accurate staggered-grid viscoelastic P-SV wave finite-difference (FD) program. The simulated results revealed very large amplification of the horizontal component and de-amplification of the vertical component of Rayleigh wave at the top of a triangular ridge and de-amplification of both the components at the base of the triangular valley. The observed amplification of both the components of Rayleigh wave in front of elliptical valley was larger than triangular valley models. A splitting of the Rayleigh wave wavelet was inferred after interaction with ridge and valley. It is concluded that the large-scale topography acts as a natural insulator for the surface waves and the insulating capacity of the valley is more than that of a ridge. This insulation phenomenon is arising due to the reflection, diffraction and splitting of the surface wave while moving across the topography. It is concluded that insulating potential of the topography for the Rayleigh waves largely depends on their shape and shape-ratio.


1989 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1177-1193
Author(s):  
Jacques Talandier ◽  
Emile A. Okal

Abstract We have developed a new magnitude scale, Mm, based on the measurement of mantle Rayleigh-wave energy in the 50 to 300 sec period range, and directly related to the seismic moment through Mm = log10M0 − 20. Measurements are taken on the first passage of Rayleigh waves, recorded on-scale on broadband instruments with adequate dynamical range. This allows estimation of the moment of an event within minutes of the arrival of the Rayleigh wave, and with a standard deviation of ±0.2 magnitude units. In turn, the knowledge of the seismic moment allows computation of an estimate of the high-seas amplitude of a range of expectable tsunami heights. The latter, combined with complementary data from T-wave duration and historical references, have been integrated into an automated procedure of tsunami warning by the Centre Polynésien de Prévention des Tsunamis (CPPT), in Papeete, Tahiti.


1982 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 1329-1349
Author(s):  
H. J. Patton

abstract Single-station measurements of Rayleigh-wave phase velocity are obtained for paths between the Nevada Test Site and the Livermore broadband regional stations. Nuclear underground explosions detonated in Yucca Valley were the sources of the Rayleigh waves. The source phase φs required by the single-station method is calculated for an explosion source by assuming a spherically symmetric point source with step-function time dependence. The phase velocities are used to analyze the Rayleigh waves of the Massachusetts Mountain earthquake of 5 August 1971. Measured values of source phase for this earthquake are consistent with the focal mechanism determined from P-wave first-motion data (Fischer et al., 1972). A moment-tensor inversion of the Rayleigh-wave spectra for a 3-km-deep source gives a horizontal, least-compressive stress axis oriented N63°W and a seismic moment of 5.5 × 1022 dyne-cm. The general agreement between the results of the P-wave study of Fischer et al. (1972) and this study supports the measurements of phase velocities and, in turn, the explosion source model used to calculate φs.


1966 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 925-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. N. Gupta

abstract The reciprocity theorem is used to obtain Rayleigh wave radiation patterns from sources on the surface of or within an elastic semi-infinite medium. Nine elementary line sources first considered are: horizontal and vertical forces, horizontal and vertical double forces without moment, horizontal and vertical single couples, center of dilatation (two dimensional case), center of rotation, and double couple without moment. The results are extended to the three dimensional case of similar point sources in a homogeneous half space. Haskell's results for the radiation patterns of Rayleigh waves from a fault of arbitrary dip and direction of motion are reproduced in a much simpler manner. Numerical results on the effect of the depth of these sources on the Rayleigh wave amplitudes are shown for a solid having Poisson's ratio of 0.25.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document