FrosPy: A Modular Python Toolbox for Normal Mode Seismology

We present free oscillations Python (FrosPy), a modular Python toolbox for normal mode seismology, incorporating several Python core classes that can easily be used and be included in larger Python programs. FrosPy is freely available and open source online. It provides tools to facilitate pre- and postprocessing of seismic normal mode spectra, including editing large time series and plotting spectra in the frequency domain. It also contains a comprehensive database of center frequencies and quality factor (Q) values based on 1D reference model preliminary reference Earth model for all normal modes up to 10 mHz and a collection of published measurements of center frequencies, Q values, and splitting function (or structure) coefficients. FrosPy provides the tools to visualize and convert different formats of splitting function coefficients and plot these as maps. By giving the means of using and comparing normal mode spectra and splitting function measurements, FrosPy also aims to encourage seismologists and geophysicists to learn about normal mode seismology and the study of the Earth’s free oscillation spectra and to incorporate them into their own research or use them for educational purposes.

The Earth’s Free Spherical Oscillations of the Great Japan Earthquake

An M9.0 earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011 and the strong earthquake made continuous oscillation of the Earth. We first studied the Earth’s free oscillations using observations of VHZ channel of China Digital Seismic Network (CDSN). Since the frequency response of seismograph in CDSN suppresses the information of low frequency signal, we do not need to remove the solid tide in our data processing. We extracted 72 clear spherical modes of (0S0,0S2to0S72) of the Earth’s free oscillation and 21 harmonic modes and they are consistent and nearly same with the frequencies of the modes of Preliminary Reference Earth Model (PREM). Spectral splitting phenomenon is observed obviously in0S2,0S3,0S4and1S2free oscillation modes.

The Earth’s Free Spherical Oscillations of the Chile Earthquake

An M8.8 earthquake struck Chile on February 27, 2010 and the strong earthquake made continuous oscillation of the Earth. We studied the Earth’s free oscillations using observations of VHZ channel of China Digital Seismic Network (CDSN). Since the frequency response of seismograph in CDSN suppresses the information of low frequency signal, we do not need to remove the solid tide in our data processing. We extracted 76 clear spherical modes of (0S0, 0S2 to 0S76) of the Earth’s free oscillation and 78 harmonic modes and they are consistent and nearly same with the frequencies of the modes of Preliminary Reference Earth Model (PREM). Spectral splitting phenomenon is observed obviously in 0S2, 0S3, 0S4 and 1S2 free oscillation modes.