Estimating bedrock depth in the case of regolith sites using ambient noise analysis

Abstract

Subsurface geometry, particularly the depth of bedrock, is crucial in seismic hazard studies because the basin geometry has been shown to play an important role in the altering of seismic waves. Estimating the bedrock surface using ambient seismic noise analysis has been undertaken by many researchers, with most studies focusing on sites with a strong impedance contrast between the bedrock and the overlying materials. The application of this technique at regolith sites, which is subjected to impedance contrasts in the low to high range is underdeveloped and requires further attention. This study seeks to address this need and is focused on the city of Adelaide in South Australia, which exhibits site amplification and is associated with various impedance contrasts. Analyses of ambient noise data are carried out using the generic function (GF) of the classic horizontal vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method and the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) technique to estimate the depth to bedrock. Comparison of the bedrock depth predictions from the seismic methods with boreholes drilled in close proximity to the measured sites demonstrate that the SPAC method provides superior estimates especially to those obtained from the other approach. This work demonstrates that the microtremor SPAC method is an effective tool for estimating bedrock structure at regolith sites.