Attenuation of coda waves in the contact zone between the Dinarides and the Adriatic Microplate

Abstract

The attenuation of coda waves is analysed for nine seismic stations in the area of convergent motion of the Adriatic microplate and the Dinarides. The frequency dependent coda quality factor of the form Qc = Q0 fn is estimated for up to seven central frequencies (1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 Hz) and for 21 successive 30 s long time windows. Q0 was found to increase from 68–353 for short lapse times of 20–50 s, to 158–373 for lapse times of 90–100 s. Parameter n is observed to vary between 0.46 and 0.89, with a pronounced tendency to decrease with increasing Q0, and vice versa. Both Q0 and n seem to stabilize for lapse times larger than 50–80 s, indicating that a change in rock properties controlling coda attenuation occurs at depths of about 100–160 km. The spatial distribution of observed Q0 is well correlated with observed seismicity and inferred tectonic activity. In particular, we observe significant negative correlation of Q0 with the peak ground acceleration (PGA) estimate for the return period of 475 years. The degree of frequency dependence n, is the smallest for stations on the islands, where the crust is the thinnest. The largest n is observed over the thickest crust in the region, where the Moho lies at depths of over 55 km.