Seismic response of laterally inhomogeneous geological region by boundary integral equations

Abstract

The proposed study deals with synthesis of seismograms by BIEM (boundary integral equation method) taking into account all three base components-seismic source, wave path and local region of interest. Consider a laterally inhomogeneous geological profile situated in a half-plane with non-parallel layers. Seismic load is time-harmonic or transient in time. It is presented by incident SH wave or wave radiating from an embedded line seismic source. Two types of lateral inhomogeneities with arbitrary shape and located in the inhomogeneous half-plane are considered: (i) free-surface relief as a canyon or a hill; (ii) alluvial basin with properties different from those of the layered half-plane. The computational tool is BIEM based on the frequency-dependent elastodynamic fundamental solutions. A relation between displacements and tractions along the free surface and arbitrary interface of the soil stratum is derived, which is applicable for arbitrary geometry of the interfaces between soil layers. Validation and convergence study is presented. All simulations reveal the sensitivity of the synthetic seismic signals on the type and characteristics of the seismic time-harmonic or transient load, on the wave path inhomogeneity and on the specific geotechnical properties of the local geological region.