Seismic velocity changes in the epicentral area of the Mw 7.8 Pedernales (Ecuador) earthquake from cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Agurto-Detzel ◽  
Diane Rivet ◽  
Philippe Charvis
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Ambient Seismic Noise ◽  
Crustal Material ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Velocity Changes

<p>In the last decade, correlation of ambient seismic noise has opened a window to new possibilities for the study of structural properties of the Earth. One such possibility is the monitoring of transient changes in the mechanical properties of the surrounding crustal material following an earthquake. These changes, expressed as variations in seismic velocities, are usually associated to fracture damage and release of fluids due to the earthquakes shaking, but could also be related to deformation associated with afterslip. On April 16, 2016, a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck the coast of Ecuador, rupturing a ~100 km-long segment of the megathrust interface previously identified as highly coupled. Shortly after the mainshock, we deployed a temporary seismic network to monitor the post-seismic phase, in addition to the already in-place permanent Ecuadorian network. Here we present results from cross-correlation of continuous ambient seismic noise during a ~12-months period following the mainshock. Taking advantage of the dense and extensive station network, we investigate the spatio-temporal evolution of the post-seimic seismic velocity changes. Our results show a slow but sustained increase in the average seismic velocities after the earthquake, with a decay in the rate of the increase during the last few months. Spatially, the increase is more notorious nearby the rupture area, whereas the amplitude of the increase diminishes as we move away from the epicenter. We interpret these variations in seismic velocities (steady increase) as the crust’s response to the healing process that takes place during the post-seismic phase, following the sudden coseismic decrease of seismic velocities during the mainshock. This healing process could involve the decrease of fluid-related pore pressures and the healing of fractures and cracks generated during the mainshock, both at the interface and on the overriding plate.</p>

Temporal seismic velocity changes during the 2020 rapid inflation at Mt. Thorbjorn-Svartsengi, Iceland, using ambient seismic noise

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yesim Cubuk Sabuncu ◽  
Kristin Jonsdottir ◽  
Corentin Caudron ◽  
Thomas Lecocq ◽  
Michelle Maree Parks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Wave ◽  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Ambient Seismic Noise ◽  
Magmatic Activity ◽  
Volcanic Unrest ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Magmatic Intrusions ◽  
Reykjanes Peninsula ◽  
Velocity Changes

<p>The Reykjanes peninsula, SW Iceland, was struck by intense earthquake swarm activity that occurred in January-July 2020 due to repeated magmatic intrusions in the Reykjanes-Svartsengi volcanic system. GPS and InSAR observations confirmed surface deformation centered near Mt. Thorbjorn, and during the unrest period, approximately ~14,000 earthquakes (-2≤M≤4.9) were reported at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). We investigate the behavior of the crust as a response to these repeated intrusions to provide insights into volcanic unrest in the Reykjanes peninsula. Our study presents temporal seismic wave velocity variations (dv/v, in percent) based on ambient noise seismic interferometry using continuous three-component waveforms collected by IMO, (http://www.vedur.is) for the period from April 2018 to November 2020. The state-of-the-art MSNoise software package (http://www.msnoise.org) is used to calculate cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise and to quantify the relative seismic velocity variations. We observe that magmatic intrusions in the vicinity of Mt. Thorbjorn-Svartsengi have considerably reduced the seismic wave velocities (dv/v, -1%) in the 1-2 Hz frequency band. Seismic velocity changes were compared with local seismicity, GPS and InSAR data recorded close to the repeated intrusions, and modelled volumetric strain changes. We found a good correlation between the dv/v variations and the available deformation data. The Rayleigh wave phase-velocity sensitivity kernels showed that the changes occurring at depths down to ~3-4 km in the crust were captured by our measurements. We interpret the relative seismic velocity decrease to be caused by crack opening induced by intrusive magmatic activity. Monitoring the Mt. Thorbjorn-Svartsengi volcanic unrest is crucial for successful early warning of volcanic hazards since the center of uplift is only 2km away from a fishing village and major infrastructure in the area, such as water supply and geothermal power. For the first time in Iceland, we have provided near-real-time dv/v variations to obtain a more complete picture of this magmatic activity. Our findings are supported by the analysis of other primary monitoring streams. We propose that this technique may be useful for early detection of future intrusions/increased magmatic activity. This study is supported by the Icelandic Research Fund, Rannis (Grant No: 185209-051).</p>

Interpreting seismic velocity changes observed with ambient seismic noise correlations

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. SJ77-SJ85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit Olivier ◽  
Florent Brenguier
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Relative Velocity ◽  
Dynamic Stress ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Ambient Seismic Noise ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Velocity Variations ◽  
Velocity Changes ◽  
Pressure Changes

Recent results have shown that crosscorrelating ambient seismic noise recorded in underground mines can successfully extract the seismic Green’s function between sensors. We have revisited an earlier experiment that showed that these virtual seismic sources can be used to measure changes in seismic velocity accurately enough to monitor the short- and long-term influences of a blast in an underground mine. To use this method routinely, it is important to determine the cause of velocity variations in the absence of large dynamic stress perturbations (such as blasts). It also is important to calibrate the seismic velocity changes in terms of known stress changes so the effect of mining activities can be quantified in units that can be used by geotechnical engineers. To this end, we used coda-wave interferometry to measure relative velocity variations during times where no significant blasting or microseismic activity occurred and compared it to atmospheric air pressure changes, temperature variations, and modeled tidal strain. The results indicate that atmospheric air pressure changes have a measurable influence on the long-term seismic velocity variations at depth in the absence of large dynamic stress perturbations. This influence enabled us to determine the sensitivity of the relative velocity changes to stress, where a value of [Formula: see text] was found. This calibration essentially enables us to turn each sensor pair in an underground mine into a stress meter, paving the way for geotechnical engineers to use ambient seismic noise correlations to monitor the evolution of stress and to assess seismic hazard in conjunction with conventional microseismic methods.

scholarly journals Fracture detection and imaging through relative seismic velocity changes using distributed acoustic sensing and ambient seismic noise

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1009-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie R. James ◽  
Hunter A. Knox ◽  
Leiph Preston ◽  
James M. Knox ◽  
Mark C. Grubelich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Ambient Seismic Noise ◽  
Fracture Detection ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Velocity Changes

Optimization of ambient seismic noise interferometry to monitor groundwater level variations.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Taruselli ◽  
Diego Arosio ◽  
Laura Longoni ◽  
Monica Papini ◽  
Luigi Zanzi
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Underground Water ◽  
Ambient Seismic Noise ◽  
Correlation Technique ◽  
Noise Interferometry ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Cross Correlation Technique

<p> In this work, we test the cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise method in monitoring underground water variations. Within this perspective we applied the abovementioned technique to study the water table changes occurring both in areas exploited for drinking water needs and inside landslides. Into detail, surveys were carried out in Crépieux-Charmy and Ventasso water catchment fields and in the Cà Lita landslide, respectively. Our aim is to optimize the outcome of the method by studying the effect of different processing steps involved in the computation of the cross-correlation technique. For this purpose, we analyzed the influence of filter types and different time windows length. Additionally, in order to address the problem of localization of the change in the medium the seismic velocity variations have been also derived from limited frequency bandwidths according to the characteristics observed in the signals spectrum. This work has shown the potential of this methodology as a valuable non-destructive toll to accurately describe hydrogeological dynamics. The monitoring system could thus be coupled with the traditional tools to improve the reconstruction of the underground water variations.</p>

Near-salt stress-induced seismic velocity changes and seismic anisotropy and their impacts on salt imaging: A case study in the Kuqa depression, Tarim Basin, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. T487-T499
Author(s):  
Yunqiang Sun ◽  
Gang Luo ◽  
Yaxing Li ◽  
Mingwen Wang ◽  
Xiaofeng Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Stress ◽  
Seismic Anisotropy ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Kuqa Depression ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Salt Structure ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Velocity Changes

It has been recognized that stress perturbations in sediments induced by salt bodies can cause elastic-wave velocity (seismic velocity) changes and seismic anisotropy through changing their elastic parameters, thus leading to difficulties in salt imaging. To investigate seismic velocity changes and seismic anisotropy by near-salt stress perturbations and their impacts on salt imaging, taking the Kuqa depression as an example, we have applied a 2D plane-strain static geomechanical finite-element model to simulate stress perturbations and calculate the associated seismic velocity changes and seismic anisotropy; then we used the reverse time migration and imaging method to image the salt structure by excluding and including the stress-induced seismic velocity changes. Our model results indicate that near-salt stresses are largely perturbed due to salt stress relaxation, and the stress perturbations lead to significant changes of the seismic velocities and seismic anisotropy near the salt structure: The maximum seismic velocity changes can reach approximately 20% and the maximum seismic anisotropy can reach approximately 10%. The significant changes of seismic velocities due to stress perturbations largely impact salt imaging: The salt imaging is unclear, distorted, or even failed if we exclude near-salt seismic velocity changes from the preliminary velocity structure, but the salt can be better imaged if the preliminary velocity structure is modified by near-salt seismic velocity changes. We find that the locations where salt imaging tends to fail usually occur where large seismic velocity changes happen, and these locations are clearly related to the geometric characteristics of salt bodies. To accurately image the salt, people need to integrate results of geomechanical models and stress-induced seismic velocity changes into the imaging approach. The results provide petroleum geologists with scientific insights into the link between near-salt stress perturbations and their induced seismic velocity changes and help exploration geophysicists build better seismic velocity models in salt basins and image salt accurately.

scholarly journals Toward Using Seismic Interferometry to Quantify Landscape Mechanical Variations after Earthquakes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odin Marc ◽  
Christoph Sens-Schönfelder ◽  
Luc Illien ◽  
Patrick Meunier ◽  
Manuel Hobiger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landslide Susceptibility ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Landslide Hazard ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Surface Strength ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Single Station ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Velocity Changes ◽  
Large Earthquakes

ABSTRACT In mountainous terrain, large earthquakes often cause widespread coseismic landsliding as well as hydrological and hydrogeological disturbances. A subsequent transient phase with high landslide rates has also been reported for several earthquakes. Separately, subsurface seismic velocities are frequently observed to drop coseismically and subsequently recover. Consistent with various laboratory work, we hypothesize that the seismic-velocity changes track coseismic damage and progressive recovery of landscape substrate, which modulate landslide hazard and hydrogeological processes, on timescales of months to years. To test this, we analyze the near-surface seismic-velocity variations, obtained with single-station high-frequency (0.5–4 Hz) passive image interferometry, in the epicentral zones of four shallow earthquakes, for which constraints on landslide susceptibility through time exist. In the case of the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, detailed landslide mapping allows us to accurately constrain an exponential recovery of landslide susceptibility with a relaxation timescale of about 1 yr, similar to the pattern of recovery of seismic velocities. The 2004 Niigata, 2008 Iwate, and 2015 Gorkha earthquakes have less-resolved constraints on landsliding, but, assuming an exponential recovery, we also find matching relaxation timescales, from ∼0.1 to ∼0.6  yr, for the landslide and seismic recoveries. These observations support our hypothesis and suggest that systematic monitoring of seismic velocities after large earthquakes may help constrain and manage the evolution of landslide hazard in epicentral areas. To achieve this goal, we end by discussing several ways to improve the link between seismic velocity and landscape mechanical properties, specifically by better constraining time-dependent near-surface strength and hydrogeological changes. Hillslopes displaying coseismic surface fissuring and displacement may be an important target for future geotechnical analysis and coupled to passive geophysical investigations.

Regional seismic velocity changes following the 2019 Mw7.1 Ridgecrest California earthquake from autocorrelations and P/S converted waves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Lu ◽  
Y Ben-Zion
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Seismic Velocity Changes ◽  
Velocity Changes

Summary We examine regional transient changes of seismic velocities generated by the Mw 7.1 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake in California, using autocorrelations of moving time windows in continuous waveforms recorded at regional stations. We focus on travel time differences in a prominent phase generated by an interface around 2 km depth, associated with transmitted Pp waves and converted Ps waves from the ongoing microseismicity. Synthetic tests demonstrate the feasibility of the method for monitoring seismic velocity changes. Taking advantage of the numerous aftershocks in the early period following the mainshock, we obtain a temporal resolution of velocity changes up to 20 min in the early post-mainshock period. The results reveal regional coseismic velocity drops in the top 1–3 km with an average value of ∼2 per cent over distances up to 100 km from the Ridgecrest event. These average velocity drops are likely dominated by larger changes in the shallow materials, and are followed by rapid recoveries on timescales of days. Around the north end of the Ridgecrest rupture and the nearby Coso geothermal region, the observed coseismic velocity drops are up to ∼8 per cent. The method allows monitoring temporal changes of seismic velocities with high temporal resolution, fast computation, and precise spatial mapping of changes. The results suggest that significant temporal changes of seismic velocities of shallow materials are commonly generated on a regional scale by large events.

scholarly journals Physics-Based Relationship for Pore Pressure and Vertical Stress Monitoring Using Seismic Velocity Variations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2684
Author(s):  
Eldert Fokker ◽  
Elmer Ruigrok ◽  
Rhys Hawkins ◽  
Jeannot Trampert
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Pressure Head ◽  
Groundwater Table ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Stress Monitoring ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Velocity Variations ◽  
Velocity Changes

Previous studies examining the relationship between the groundwater table and seismic velocities have been guided by empirical relationships only. Here, we develop a physics-based model relating fluctuations in groundwater table and pore pressure with seismic velocity variations through changes in effective stress. This model justifies the use of seismic velocity variations for monitoring of the pore pressure. Using a subset of the Groningen seismic network, near-surface velocity changes are estimated over a four-year period, using passive image interferometry. The same velocity changes are predicted by applying the newly derived theory to pressure-head recordings. It is demonstrated that the theory provides a close match of the observed seismic velocity changes.

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