Deep structure of the Iberian Peninsula determined by Rayleigh wave velocity inversion

Abstract

SUMMARY A rigorous study of velocity dispersion of surface waves generated by teleseismic events propagating across the Iberian Peninsula and traversing main geological units, has been carried out from a set of selected analogue data, as digital records have only become available recently. Dispersed seismic signals have been obtained over a period of 16 years, between 1967 and 1982, at the five Iberian stations having long-period instruments. In our study, we have considered many earthquakes thus obtaining a fairly good path coverage of most of the peninsula for two-station Rayleigh wave velocity measurements. In all cases, the approach azimuths of the wavefronts were carefully checked. Several digital filtering techniques have been employed to remove the effects of multipathing and modal contamination, and to isolate the fundamental mode from Rayleigh wavetrains. Thus, we have obtained good estimates for both phase and group velocities. A time-variable filter has reduced the influence of noise and removed higher mode interference. Multiple filtering is then used to compute group velocity. Frequency-domain Wiener deconvolution is used to compute the interstation phase velocity. The determined average Rayleigh wave velocities reveal differences in the propagation conditions of the seismic energy across the peninsula. A mapping of velocities for various periods of reference, together with a mapping of errors in velocity, are the basis for obtaining the Rayleigh wave velocity distribution in the peninsula. Theoretical 2-D layered earth models are obtained by joint inversion of phase and group velocity dispersion curves using the stochastic inverse operator. In our inversion scheme, we use velocities corrected for anelastic effects. Finally, a 3-D mapping of S velocity is performed. This study shows important regional features of the deep structure of Iberia; we see small lateral inhomogeneities and also two low-velocity layers: one with shear velocities usually ranging from 4.23 to 4.31 km s-1 directly under the Moho, and another, the asthenosphere, with a negative velocity gradient for depths between 81 and 181 km, terminated at the bottom by a sharp discontinuity.