Seismometer Array Research Articles

Distributed Acoustic Sensing Using Dark Fiber for Array Detection of Regional Earthquakes

AbstractThe intrinsic array nature of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) makes it suitable for applying beamforming techniques commonly used in traditional seismometer arrays for enhancing weak and coherent seismic phases from distant seismic events. We test the capacity of a dark-fiber DAS array in the Sacramento basin, northern California, to detect small earthquakes at The Geysers geothermal field, at a distance of ∼100 km from the DAS array, using beamforming. We use a slowness range appropriate for ∼0.5–1.0 Hz surface waves that are well recorded by the DAS array. To take advantage of the large aperture, we divide the ∼20 km DAS cable into eight subarrays of aperture ∼1.5–2.0 km each, and apply beamforming independently to each subarray using phase-weighted stacking. The presence of subarrays of different orientations provides some sensitivity to back azimuth. We apply a short-term average/long-term average detector to the beam at each subarray. Simultaneous detections over multiple subarrays, evaluated using a voting scheme, are inferred to be caused by the same earthquake, whereas false detections caused by anthropogenic noise are expected to be localized to one or two subarrays. Analyzing 45 days of continuous DAS data, we were able to detect all earthquakes with M≥2.4, while missing most of the smaller magnitude earthquakes, with no false detections due to seismic noise. In comparison, a single broadband seismometer co-located with the DAS array was unable to detect any earthquake of M<2.4, many of which were detected successfully by the DAS array. The seismometer also experienced a large number of false detections caused by spatially localized noise. We demonstrate that DAS has significant potential for local and regional detection of small seismic events using beamforming. The ubiquitous presence of dark fiber provides opportunities to extend remote earthquake monitoring to sparsely instrumented and urban areas.

Phase-weighted slant stacking for surface wave dispersion measurement

SUMMARY Surface wave retrieval from ambient noise records using seismic interferometry techniques has been widely used for multiscale shear wave velocity (Vs) imaging. One key step during Vs imaging is the generation of dispersion spectra and the extraction of a reliable dispersion curve from the retrieved surface waves. However, the sparse array geometry usually affects the ability for high-frequency (>1 Hz) seismic signals’ acquisition. Dispersion measurements are degraded by array response due to sparse sampling and often present smeared dispersion spectra with sidelobe artefacts. Previous studies usually focus on interferograms’ domain (e.g. cross-correlation function) and attempt to enhance coherent signals before dispersion measurement. We propose an alternative technique to explicitly deblur dispersion spectra through use of a phase-weighted slant-stacking algorithm. Numerical examples demonstrate the strength of the proposed technique to attenuate array responses as well as incoherent noise. Three different field examples prove the flexibility and superiority of the proposed technique: the first data set consists of ambient noise records acquired using a nodal seismometer array; the second data set utilizes distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and a marine fibre-optic cable to acquire a similar ambient noise data set; the last data set is a vibrator-based active-source surface wave data. The enhanced dispersion measurements provide cleaner and higher-resolution spectra without distortions which will assist both human interpreters as well as ML algorithms in efficiently picking curves for subsequent Vs inversion.

Miniature seismometer array system for Lunar underground structures investigation: Evaluation of its exploration depth based on Apollo seismometer data

現在，月の地下にあると考えられている水氷は将来の地球外での活動を行なう上で，資源として重要とされている。また，将来的には月面に基地を建設する計画もある。こうした中，月の地下のS波速度構造を求めることは，水資源の発見や地盤支持力の推定などに繋がり，重要である。また月探査では，ロケットに搭載できる物資の量や金銭的な問題から，探査機の重量や大きさに限度がある。そのため，探査システムの軽量化や小型化が求められている。本研究では，この課題を解決しつつ，月のS波速度構造を調べるシステムを検討した。具体的には，小型の地震計アレイを使用して微動を観測し，Centerless Circular Array（CCA）法で解析した場合のアレイ配置毎の可探深度を評価した。CCA法で求められる可探深度は，微動の「NS比（SN比の逆数）」，「アレイ半径」，「地震計の数」により影響を受ける。そこで，実際に月面で取得されたアポロ14号から17号の微動データを用いて，月の微動のNS比を推定し，月の環境下で小型アレイを使った場合を想定した評価を行なった。月面を伝播する表面波の周波数ごとの波数kobsが，NS比，アレイ半径，地震計の数を用いて求められる最小波数解析限界kminを上回る最小波数から長波長限界を求め，その波長の三分の一から可探深度を求めた。まず，地球の微動データにおいてこの方法の有効性を確認した後，CCA法を月探査で用いる際に考慮すべき点や課題を整理し，月での可探深度を推定することで，求めたい深度に対してどのようなアレイ配置や地震計の精度が必要かを考察した。例えば，求めたい深度が3 mの場合，精度の良い地震計を用いてノイズを抑える，もしくはノイズの小さい時間帯のデータを選んで解析すれば，五角形アレイでは0.3 m半径，三角形アレイでは0.5 m半径の小型アレイでも探査できることが分かった。このように，本研究で提案する評価方法は，将来の月探査プロジェクトで地震計アレイを設計する際に有効であると考えられる。

An OBS Array to Investigate Offshore Seismicity during the 2018 Kīlauea Eruption

AbstractOn 3 May 2018, Kīlauea Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, entered a new eruptive phase because of a dike intrusion in the East Rift zone. One day later, an Mw 6.9 earthquake, which was likely trigged by the dike intrusion, occurred in the submarine south flank of Kīlauea Volcano. In mid-July, an ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) array consisting of 12 stations was deployed on the submarine south flank of Kīlauea Volcano to monitor the aftershocks and lava–water interaction near the ocean entry. Eleven OBSs were recovered in mid-September. Preliminary evaluation of the data reveals a large number of seismic and acoustic events, which provide a valuable dataset for understanding flank deformation and stability as well as lava–water interaction. Here, we introduce this dataset and document notable instrument malfunctions along with some initial seismic and acoustic observations.

Methoni Mw 6.8 rupture and aftershocks distribution from a dense array of OBS and land seismometers, offshore SW Hellenic subduction

Along the south-western offshore Hellenic subduction zone, the overriding Aegean upper plate above the Mediterranean oceanic lithosphere generates uncommon large earthquakes on the offshore megathrust fault. The largest subduction thrust event, for half a century, has been the 14 February 2008 Methoni earthquake (Mw = 6.8) that occurred offshore of the southwest coast of Peloponnesus. We conducted micro-seismicity experiments around the rupture area and forearc domain -between Peloponnesus and Crete- using ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) jointly with land-based seismological stations. Our first experiment in 2006, had revealed an association of the Matapan Trough, a 400-km-long forearc basin, with local seismicity clustering and a possible gap in activity over the later Methoni rupture area. Here we present new data of post-Methoni seismic activity, recorded during a time-span of 11 months, beginning in October 2008 within the period of proposed afterslip on the megathrust, by an extended and dense seismic array consisting of up to 33 OBS. A minimum 1D velocity model was constructed for the region to provide better constraints on absolute locations and double-difference relocation was applied to produce an enhanced image of the spatial distribution of hypocenters. The high resolution earthquake locations confirm correlation of the Matapan Trough with local seismicity as a regional feature, also filling up the previously observed gap. Over the Methoni rupture area, we constrain seismicity to be located mainly within the upper plate. Hypocenters are also resolved above the updip and downdip edges of the rupture area, respectively. Seismic activity provides hints of upper plate structures which were activated in response to post-seismic deformation spreading within the forearc crust. Our findings highlight the characteristics of a megathrust domain which is related with a highly deformable overriding plate and controlled by a segmented lower plate topography.

Persistent Long‐Period Signals Recorded by an OBS Array in the Western‐Central Pacific: Activity of Ambrym Volcano in Vanuatu

AbstractStrong long‐period seismic signals at periods around 25 and 18 s appear in the ambient noise cross‐correlation functions recorded by an array of ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) in the western‐central Pacific. The signal amplitude varies from time to time, and the apparent travel times of the signals are typically smaller than those expected for the Rayleigh waves propagating along the great circle connecting the station pairs. From the cross‐correlation functions, the signal sources are located in the Vanuatu Arc. Local data analysis suggests the signals originate from two different sources possibly located at depths of ~0–1 km below the sea level beneath the active cones of Ambrym volcano.

Machine learning for gravitational-wave detection: surrogate Wiener filtering for the prediction and optimized cancellation of Newtonian noise at Virgo

The cancellation of noise from terrestrial gravity fluctuations, also known as Newtonian noise (NN), in gravitational-wave detectors is a formidable challenge. Gravity fluctuations result from density perturbations associated with environmental fields, e.g., seismic and acoustic fields, which are characterized by complex spatial correlations. Measurements of these fields necessarily provide incomplete information, and the question is how to make optimal use of available information for the design of a noise-cancellation system. In this paper, we present a machine-learning approach to calculate a surrogate model of a Wiener filter. The model is used to calculate optimal configurations of seismometer arrays for a varying number of sensors, which is the missing keystone for the design of NN cancellation systems. The optimization results indicate that efficient noise cancellation can be achieved even for complex seismic fields with relatively few seismometers provided that they are deployed in optimal configurations. In the form presented here, the optimization method can be applied to all current and future gravitational-wave detectors located at the surface and with minor modifications also to future underground detectors.

Slowness vector estimation over large-aperture sparse arrays with the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT): application to Ocean Bottom Seismometers

SUMMARYThis work presents a new methodology designed to estimate the slowness vector in large-aperture sparse Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) arrays. The Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) is used to convert the original incoherent traces that span a large array, into coherent impulse functions adapted to the array aperture. Subsequently, these impulse functions are beamformed in the frequency domain to estimate the slowness vector. We compare the performance of this new method with that of an alternative solution, based on the Short-/Long-Term Average algorithm and with a method based on the trace envelope, with the ability to derive a very fast detection and slowness vector estimation of seismic signal arrivals. The new array methodology has been applied to data from an OBS deployment with an aperture of 80 km and an interstation distance of about 40 km, in the vicinity of Cape Saint Vincent (SW Iberia). A set of 17 regional earthquakes with magnitudes 2 < mbLg < 5, has been selected to test the capabilities of detecting and locating regional seismic events with the Cape Saint Vincent OBS Array. We have found that there is a good agreement between the epicentral locations obtained previously by direct search methods and those calculated using the slowness vector estimations resulting from application of the CWT technique. We show that the proposed CWT method can detect seismic signals and estimate the slowness vector from regional earthquakes with high accuracy and robustness under low signal-to-noise ratio conditions. Differences in epicentral distances applying direct search methods and the CWT technique are between 1 and 21 km with an average value of 12 km. The backazimuth differences range from 1° to 7° with an average of 1.5° for the Pwave and ranging from 1° to 10° with an average of 3° for the Swave.

The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment

AbstractThe Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) is a shoreline-crossing passive- and active-source seismic experiment that took place from May 2018 through August 2019 along an ∼700 km long section of the Aleutian subduction zone spanning Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. The experiment featured 105 broadband seismometers; 30 were deployed onshore, and 75 were deployed offshore in Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) packages. Additional strong-motion instruments were also deployed at six onshore seismic sites. Offshore OBS stretched from the outer rise across the trench to the shelf. OBSs in shallow water (<262 m depth) were deployed with a trawl-resistant shield, and deeper OBSs were unshielded. Additionally, a number of OBS-mounted strong-motion instruments, differential and absolute pressure gauges, hydrophones, and temperature and salinity sensors were deployed. OBSs were deployed on two cruises of the R/V Sikuliaq in May and July 2018 and retrieved on two cruises aboard the R/V Sikuliaq and R/V Langseth in August–September 2019. A complementary 398-instrument nodal seismometer array was deployed on Kodiak Island for four weeks in May–June 2019, and an active-source seismic survey on the R/V Langseth was arranged in June 2019 to shoot into the AACSE broadband network and the nodes. Additional underway data from cruises include seafloor bathymetry and sub-bottom profiles, with extra data collected near the rupture zone of the 2018 Mw 7.9 offshore-Kodiak earthquake. The AACSE network was deployed simultaneously with the EarthScope Transportable Array (TA) in Alaska, effectively densifying and extending the TA offshore in the region of the Alaska Peninsula. AACSE is a community experiment, and all data were made available publicly as soon as feasible in appropriate repositories.

Seismic Response of a Mountain Ridge Prone to Landsliding

ABSTRACTDuring an earthquake, site effects can play an important role in triggering landslides. To document the seismic response of steep hillslopes, we deployed broadband seismometers across a mountain ridge in Taiwan, in an area with a high earthquake-induced landslide hazard. The ridge has a simple, representative shape, and landslides have previously occurred there. Our seismometer array has recorded continuously during more than 1 yr, with both ambient-noise and regional moderate earthquakes as sources. Processing horizontal and vertical signal components, we show that the ridge has a complex response, which we attribute to the combined effects of the subsurface geology and the topographic geometry. Amplification and directionality of ground motion are observed both high and low on the ridge, giving rise to localized, elevated, earthquake-induced landslide hazard. Our database contains earthquakes with mostly similar locations, making it difficult to determine the effect of earthquake back azimuth on the ridge response. A part of the ridge response, possibly due to topographic effects, seems to be explained by a model derived from a frequency scale curvature proxy at low frequency. If correct, this would be a promising first step toward improving local ground-motion estimation in mountain areas. However, the definition of appropriate scaling parameters of site effects based on geophysical measurements, for use in regional and global landslide hazard equations applicable to mountain areas with substantial regolith thickness, remains a significant challenge.

The crustal structure of the Eastern Subbasin of the South China Sea: constraints from receiver functions

SUMMARYThe crustal structure is a window to understand the tectonic evolution of an area. Through the first large-scale passive-source ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) array observation experiment in the Eastern Subbasin of the South China Sea (ESSCS), we calculated and obtained the respective receiver functions of these stations. As OBS works on the seafloor, where the working environment is different from that for its land-based counterpart, the effects of the sea-water layer and the oceanic low-velocity sediment layer on the seismic signals must be evaluated. Receiver functions’ synthetic test demonstrates the following: the presence of the sea-water layer produces a strong negative-amplitude phase (Pwp) in the receiver function, and the arrival time of this phase is delayed as the thickness of the sea-water layer increases; the presence of the low-velocity sediment layer produces a strong positive-amplitude phase (Pseds) which causes a delay in the arrival time of the Moho-related phases of the receiver function and makes them difficult to distinguish. On the basis of phase identification and synthetic tests, we estimate crustal thickness beneath each of the stations using two approaches. The first approach utilizes the observed arrival time of Moho phases, and the second approach finds the optimal crustal thickness by comparing the synthetic and observed receiver functions, which leads to more reliable results. The results of the second method show that the thickness of the sediment in the study area is mainly controlled by seafloor topography, the thickness of the crust in the seamount area is affected by the magma supply during the expansion stage and the post-spreading magmatism, and the crust in the flat basin is only affected by the magma supply during the expansion period. Moreover, the crust in the area affected by magmatic activity after the expansion stage is thicker than that in the area not affected.

Deep sea floor observations of typhoon driven enhanced ocean turbulence

The impact of large atmospheric disturbances on deep benthic communities is not well known quantitatively. Observations are scarce but may reveal specific processes leading to turbulent disturbances. Here, we present high-resolution deep-ocean observations to study potential turbulent mixing by a large atmospheric disturbance. We deployed an array of 100-Hz sampling-rate geophysical broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs) on the seafloor. Within the footprint of this array we also deployed an oceanographic 0.5-Hz sampling-rate vertical temperature sensor string covering the water phase between 7 and 207 m above the seafloor at about 3000 m depth off eastern Taiwan between June 2017 and April 2018. In September 2017, all instruments recorded Category 4 cyclone Typhoon Talim’s passage northeast of the array one day ahead of the cyclone’s closest approach when the cyclone’s eye was more than 1,000 km away. For 10 days, a group of near-inertial motions appeared most clearly in temperature. The group contained the largest inertial amplitudes in the ten month time series, and which led to turbulence dissipation rates O(10−7 m2 s−3). The observation reflects the importance of barotropic response to a cyclone and the propagation of inertio-gravity waves in weak density stratification. In addition to internal tides, these waves drove turbulent overturns larger than 200 m that were concurrently recorded by OBSs. The turbulent signals were neither due to seismic activity nor to ocean-surface wave action. Cyclones can generate not only microseisms and earth hums, as well as turbulence in the water column, producing additional ground motions. Quantified turbulence processes may help constrain models on sediment resuspension and its effect on deep-sea benthic life.

Geophysical Borehole Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault in the Eastern Sea of Marmara (GONAF): initial results

Given its intense seismic activity and damaging earthquake generation potential, the western part of the North Anatolian Fault constitutes a serious natural hazard. As a result, the fault is monitored with a broad range of seismological and geodetic instrumentation making it a natural laboratory environment for scientific studies. One of the long-term projects in this region is GONAF (Geophysical Borehole Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault) which is the first borehole seismometer network project in Turkey. GONAF is a joint research project that started in 2011 as joint initiative of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency AFAD and GFZ and the German Research Center for Geoscience Helmholtz Center Potsdam. The aim of GONAF is to detect, examine, and monitor the microseismic activity in the region and to observe the physical processes before, during and after a large Marmara earthquake (M > 7.0) that is expected to rupture the western part of the North Anatolian Fault, below the Marmara Sea along the Princes Islands segment or even further to the west. For this purpose, the permanent GONAF observatory was established consisting of 7 borehole seismometer arrays installed down to a depth of 300 m. In this paper, we report on regional stress changes in the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) using instrumental data and the Coulomb stress method. We also present preliminary results of the observation and evaluation of microseismic activity obtained from the GONAF observatory. For the automatic evaluation of real-time data, Seiscomp3, RTQUAKE, and Earthworm Softwares were used. Within the scope of automatic earthquake detection studies, between March, 2016 and November, 2017, a total of 2568 earthquakes were detected using the RTQUAKE software. Of these, 1459 could be analyzed. While the magnitude of the analyzed earthquakes varies between 0.8 and 4.2, the depth of these events ranges from 2 to 30 km.

Shear attenuation and anelastic mechanisms in the central Pacific upper mantle

We determine the mantle attenuation (1/Qμ) structure beneath 70 Myr seafloors in the central Pacific. We use long-period (33-100 sec) Rayleigh waves recorded by the NoMelt array of broadband ocean-bottom seismometers. After the removal of tilt and compliance noise, we are able to measure Rayleigh wave phase and amplitude for 125 earthquakes. The compliance correction for ocean wave pressure on the seafloor is particularly important for improving signal-to-noise at periods longer than 55 sec. Attenuation and azimuthally anisotropic phase velocity in the study area are determined by approximating the wavefield as the interference of two plane waves. We find that the amplitude decay of Rayleigh waves across the NoMelt array can be adequately explained using a two-layer model: Qμ=1400 in the shallow layer, Qμ=110 in the deeper layer, and a transition depth at 70 km, although the sharpness of the transition is not well resolved by the Rayleigh wave data. Notably, Qμ observed in the NoMelt lithosphere is significantly higher than values in this area from global attenuation models. When compared with lithospheric Qμ measured at higher frequency (∼3 Hz), the frequency dependence of attenuation is very slight, revising previous interpretations. The effect of anelasticity on shear velocity (VS) is estimated from the ratio of observed velocity to the predicted anharmonic value. We use laboratory-based parameters to predict attenuation and velocity-dispersion spectra that result from the superposition of a weakly frequency dependent high-temperature background and an absorption peak. We test a large range of frequencies for the position of the absorption peak (fe) and determine, at each depth, which values of fe predict Qμ and VS that can fit the NoMelt Qμ and VS values simultaneously. We show that between depths of 60 and 80 km the seismic models require an increase in fe by at least 3-4 orders of magnitude. Under the assumption that the absorption peak is caused by elastically accommodated grain-boundary sliding, this increase in fe reflects a decrease in grain-boundary viscosity of 3-4 orders of magnitude. A likely explanation is an increase in the water content of the mantle, with the base of the dehydrated lid located at ∼70-km depth.

Experimental Evaluation of a Two-Entry Gate-Road Yield Pillar: Convergence Monitoring and Physical Properties

Gate-road yield pillars are subject to increases in stress as the longwall face advances toward the pillars. Increases in pillar stress can be inferred by measuring roof/floor convergence surrounding the pillar. This paper presents a case study of convergence measurements surrounding a two-entry gate-road yield pillar in the head gate of a coal mine. Convergence was measured over a six-month period, as the longwall face approached and passed the pillar. Measurements were collected at eight locations surrounding the pillar: four locations in the travelway and four locations in the beltway. In addition to convergence stations, the pillar was instrumented with an array of seismometers. In future analysis, convergence measurements will be compared to seismic interpretations. This study reports on the geology and geometry of the longwall panel, the roof and rib support, the change in convergence over time, and the physical properties of coal and parting. Additionally, the convergence measurements are compared to pillar safety factor distributions derived from a finite element model. The convergence measurements contribute to the knowledge of when yield pillar abutment loading, caused by the encroaching longwall, is first detected. Knowing when abutment loading begins to yield the pillars can help define when standing secondary roof supports are required for head gate entry support.

An Efficient Equal Air-Time Transmission Strategy for Wireless Seismometer Array Based on LoRaWAN With CuckooHash

Recently, large-scale wireless seismometer array (WSA) have played an increasingly important role in oil/gas exploration industry and seismology research. However, due to limited wireless channel bandwidth, transmission latency and high power consumption caused by transmission conflicts in battery-powered seismometers, real-time large-scale WSA system remains unsolved. In this article, we introduce a LoRaWAN-based WSA system with high precise time slot deriving from a synchronization platform composed of GPS timing module and temperature compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) clock counter. Using the global sharing time slot, we propose an Equal Air Time and CuckooHash (EAT&CH) algorithm for the WSA to resolve channel congestion and delays when multiple seismometers upload data simultaneously. In EAT&CH, an equal air-time spreading factor (SF) allocation method based on the coarse/fine-grained theory is employed to reduce the collision probability of data transmission. To improve the scalability of the WSA in terms of reducing both collision probability and data delay, a different carrier frequency (CF) channel with the same SF allocation plan depending on CuckooHash is designed to reduce the network latency. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves nearly 100% data extraction rate of the WSA with less than two times the delay, compared with the existing Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) mechanism.

Seismic array measurements at Virgo’s west end building for the configuration of a Newtonian-noise cancellation system

Terrestrial gravity fluctuations produce so-called Newtonian noise (NN) which is expected to limit the low frequency sensitivity of existing gravitational-waves (GW) detectors LIGO and Virgo, when they will reach their full potential, and of next-generation detectors like the Einstein Telescope. In this paper, we present a detailed characterization of the seismic field at Virgo’s west end building as part of the development of a Newtonian noise cancellation system. The cancellation system will use optimally filtered data from a seismometer array to produce an estimate of the Newtonian-noise generated by the seismic field, and to subtract this estimate from the gravitational-wave channel of the detector. By using an array of 38 seismic sensors, we show that, despite the influence of the complexity of Virgo’s infrastructure on the correlation across the array, Wiener filtering can still be very efficient in reconstructing the seismic field around the test-mass location. Taking into account the division of the building’s foundations into separate concrete slabs, and the different properties of the seismic field across them, we conclude that the arrays to be used for the Newtonian-noise cancellation at Virgo will require a relatively large number of seismometers per test mass, i.e. significantly more than 10. Moreover, observed variations of the absolute noise residuals over time, related to the daily evolution of anthropogenic noise, suggest that the Wiener filter will need to be updated regularly, probably more often than every hour, to achieve stationarity of the background level after subtraction.

Low-velocity layers in the northwestern margin of the South China Sea: Evidence from receiver functions of ocean-bottom seismometer data

The receiver function method was applied to teleseismic recordings of an active-source ocean-bottom seismometer array in the northwestern margin of the South China Sea. Forward modeling of the receiver functions was used to derive velocity interfaces beneath the stations. Two main groups of low-velocity layers were imaged. The first group in the reef area, with a thickness of 7–10 km, exhibits a seaward uptrend of the buried depth but poor continuity. The second group, with a thickness of 3–4 km, is more continuous along the Zhongsha Trough; the buried depth decreases asymmetrically from the flanks to the rift center. A high shear wave velocity layer of ~4.0 km/s is imaged at the crust bottom beneath the Zhongsha Trough, with thickness of ~3 km. The average Vp/Vs in the Cenozoic sediment is 2.0–3.0 and was affected by high fluid activity induced by intensive faults. The Vp/Vs of the crust varies between 1.77 and 1.88, suggesting an intermediate to basic composition under the continental extension. Together, these results suggest a two-stage evolution model of the continental crust. In the first stage, the crust deformed in a ductile manner and thus created considerable shearing structures with high anisotropy that caused the obvious decrease of the shear wave velocity. In the second stage, the shearing structures connected asymmetrically, driven by detachment faults in the upper crust and upwelling of the lower crust. The Zhongsha Trough then formed, probably with magmatic underplating due to lithospheric extension or rising of hot mantle materials.

Seismic tomography uses earthquake waves to probe the inner Earth

Computerized tomography (CT) scans revolutionized medicine by giving doctors and diagnosticians the ability to visualize tissues deep within the body in three dimensions. In recent years, a different sort of imaging technique has done the same for geophysicists. Seismic tomography allows them to detect and depict subterranean features. Data gathered by a network of seismic instruments (red) have enabled researchers to discern a region of relatively cold, stiff rock (shades of green and blue) beneath eastern North America. This is likely to be the remnants of an ancient tectonic plate. Image credit: Suzan van der Lee (Northwestern University, Evanston, IL). The advent of the approach has proven to be a boon for researchers looking to better understand what’s going on beneath our feet. Results have offered myriad insights into environmental conditions within the Earth, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of kilometers below the surface. And in some cases, the technique offers evidence that bolsters models of geophysical processes long suspected but previously only theorized, researchers say. Seismic tomography “lets us image Earth’s structures at all sorts of scales,” says Jeffrey Freymueller, a geophysicist at Michigan State University in East Lansing and director of the national office of the National Science Foundation’s EarthScope. That 15-year program, among other things, operates an array of seismometers—some permanent, some temporary—that has collected data across North America. Among its more impressive finds: the remnants of an ancient tectonic plate sitting deep below North America and a plume of buoyant material fueling a well-known geothermal hot spot. Tomography, roughly translated from Greek, means “writing by slices.” Researchers relish this ability to take digital models of three-dimensional (3D) objects and slice through them to create cross-sections—to virtually dissect them from any angle. Both medical tomography and seismic tomography use large arrays of sensors to collect energy that …

Fracture Network Imaging on Rock Slope Instabilities Using Resonance Mode Analysis

AbstractWe performed modal analysis using frequency domain decomposition of ambient seismic vibration data collected on large rock slope instabilities. This technique enables a robust detection of resonance frequencies and provides the corresponding mode shape vectors. We applied the technique to synthetic and field data sets acquired by seismometer arrays on two rock instabilities in Switzerland. We found that, at the fundamental mode, the entire instability vibrates in‐phase with the dominant mode shape vector oriented perpendicular to dominant fracture systems. At higher frequencies, different compartments of the instability resonate antiphase. Therefore, delineating the zero crossings between the phases allows dominant fractures to be efficiently mapped. Approximately 1 hr of ambient vibration data suffices to apply the method successfully. The method also potentially detects hidden fractures that cannot be observed by geological field mapping. In addition, this approach combines classic amplification and polarization analysis into one technique, simplifying data processing efforts.