On the location of frequencies of maximum acoustic-to-seismic coupling

Abstract

Measurements of the acoustic-to-seismic transfer function (ratio of the normal soil particle velocity at a depth d to the acoustic pressure at the surface) for outdoor ground surfaces quite typically reveal a series of maxima and minima. In a publication [Sabatier et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 646–649 (1986)], the location and magnitude of these maxima are measured and predicted for several outdoor ground surfaces using a layered poroelastic model of the ground surface. In this paper, the seismic transfer function for a desert site is compared to the seismic transfer function for holes dug in the desert floor which were filled with pumice (volcanic rock). The hole geometry was rectangular and the hole depths varied from 0.25–2.0 m. The p- and s-wave speeds, densities, porosities, and flow resistivities for the desert floor and pumice were all measured. By varying the hole depth and the fill material, the maxima in the seismic transfer function can be shifted in frequency and the locations of the maxima compare reasonably with that of a hard-backed layer calculation. The area or extent of the acoustic-to-seismic coupling for pumice was determined to be less than 1 m2.