Influence of Local Site Conditions on the Reliability of Fundamental-Mode Surface Wave Inversion Methods

Abstract

Abstract The development of reliable shear wave velocity (VS) profiles from surface wave velocity measurements requires compatibility between the measured and theoretical dispersion curves used in the inversion procedure. The most common approach in geotechnical applications is to use a fundamental-mode theoretical dispersion curve based on the assumption that the measured dispersion curve is representative of the fundamental mode of surface wave propagation. Analyses of low-frequency surface wave measurements presented in this paper show that this widespread assumption is invalid at low frequencies (long wavelengths) for some profile conditions. Results are presented from measurements performed at two deep soil sites in the central United States where surface wave analyses were performed using both the common fundamental-mode approach as well as an “effective-velocity” approach. At one site these two methods produced essentially the same estimate of the VS profile, while at the second site the estimated VS values at depth differed by more than 40 %. Using soil profile information for these sites and simulations of surface wave propagation, it is shown that the shallower depth to a higher-velocity formation at the second site created dominant higher-mode energy at wavelengths of 300–600 m, resulting in an overestimation of deep VS values.