Integration of SH seismic reflection and Love-wave dispersion data for shear wave velocity determination over quick clays

Abstract

Quick clay is a water-saturated formation originally formed through flocculation and deposition in a marine to brackish environment. It is subsequently leached to low salinity by freshwater flow. If its strength decreases, then the flocculated structure collapses leading to landslides of varying destructiveness. Leaching can result in a reduction of the undisturbed shear strength of these clays and suggestions exist that a reduction in shear wave velocities is also possible. Integration of SH seismic reflection and Love-wave dispersion data was undertaken, in an area near the Gota River in southwest Sweden, to evaluate the potential of shear wave velocity imaging for detecting quick clays. Seismic reflection processing evidenced several geologically interesting interfaces related to the probable presence of quick clays (locally confirmed by boreholes) and sand-gravelly layers strongly contributing to water circulation within them. Dispersion data were extracted with a Gaussian windowing approach and inverted with a laterally constrained inversion using a priori information from the seismic reflection imaging. The inversion of dispersion curves has evidenced the presence of a low velocity layer (lvl, with a velocity reduction of ca. 30 per cent) probably associable to quick clays. This velocity reduction is enough to produce detectable phase-velocity differences in the field data and to achieve a better velocity resolution if compared to reflection seismic velocity analyses. The proposed approach has the potential of a comprehensive determination of the shear wave velocity distribution in the shallow subsurface. A sensitivity analysis of Love-wave dispersion data is also presented underlining that, despite limited dispersion of the data set and the velocity-reducing effect of quick-clay leaching, the proposed interpretation procedure arises as a valuable approach in quick clay and other lvl identification.