Frequency dependent polarization analysis of ambient seismic noise recorded at a broadband seismometer in the central United States

Abstract

We present a new approach to polarization analysis of seismic noise recorded by three-component seismometers. It is based on statistical analysis of frequency-dependent particle motion properties determined from a large number of time windows via eigenanalysis of the 3-by-3, Hermitian, spectral covariance matrix. We applied the algorithm to continuous data recorded in 2009 by the seismic station SLM, located in central North America. A rich variety of noise sources was observed. At low frequencies (<0.05 Hz) we observed a tilt-related signal that showed some elliptical motion in the horizontal plane. In the microseism band of 0.05–0.25 Hz, we observed Rayleigh energy arriving from the northeast, but with three distinct peaks instead of the classic single and double frequency peaks. At intermediate frequencies of 0.5–2.0 Hz, the noise was dominated by non-fundamental-mode Rayleigh energy, most likely P and Lg waves. At the highest frequencies (>3 Hz), Rayleigh-type energy was again dominant in the form of Rg waves created by nearby cultural activities. Analysis of the time dependence of noise power shows that a frequency range of at least 0.02–1.0 Hz (much larger than the microseism band) is sensitive to annual, meteorologically induced sources of noise.