A Numerical Model of the SEIS Leveling System Transfer Matrix and Resonances: Application to SEIS Rotational Seismology and Dynamic Ground Interaction

Abstract Both sensors of the SEIS instrument (VBBs and SPs) are mounted on the mechanical leveling system (LVL), which has to ensure a level placement on the Martian ground under currently unknown local conditions, and provide the mechanical coupling of the seismometers to the ground. We developed a simplified analytical model of the LVL structure in order to reproduce its mechanical behavior by predicting its resonances and transfer function. This model is implemented numerically and allows to estimate the effects of the LVL on the data recorded by the VBBs and SPs on Mars. The model is validated through comparison with the horizontal resonances (between 35 and 50 Hz) observed in laboratory measurements. These modes prove to be highly dependent of the ground horizontal stiffness and torque. For this reason, an inversion study is performed and the results are compared with some experimental measurements of the LVL feet’s penetration in a martian regolith analog. This comparison shows that the analytical model can be used to estimate the elastic ground properties of the InSight landing site. Another application consists in modeling the 6 sensors on the LVL at their real positions, also considering their sensitivity axes, to study the performances of the global SEIS instrument in translation and rotation. It is found that the high frequency ground rotation can be measured by SEIS and, when compared to the ground acceleration, can provide ways to estimate the phase velocity of the seismic surface waves at shallow depths. Finally, synthetic data from the active seismic experiment made during the HP3 penetration and SEIS rotation noise are compared and used for an inversion of the Rayleigh phase velocity. This confirms the perspectives for rotational seismology with SEIS which will be developed with the SEIS data acquired during the commissioning phase after landing

Analysis and modeling of meteor impact and airburst generated seismic waves on terrestrial planets with atmosphere

Les évènements météoriques constituent une source d’importance fondamentale pour la sismologie planétaire, étant donné que leur localisation, et dans certains cas, leur temps d’origine peuvent être déterminés précisément par des orbiteurs. Cette importance augmente encore dans le cas d’une expérimentation à 1 seul sismomètre, comme dans le cas de SEIS (Seismic Experimentof Interior Structure) de la mission actuelle InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport). En effet, la localisation précise permet de réaliser une inversion directe des temps de propagation différentiels et des formes d’ondes pour la détermination de la structure interne. Les impacts de météorites génèrent des ondes de volume et de surface lors de leur arrivée à la surface d’une planète. Quand ils explosent dans l’atmosphère, ils produisent des ondes de chocs qui sont converties en ondes linéaires, sismiques pour la partie solide, et acoustiques pour la partie atmosphérique. Ce phénomène peut être modélisé par l’amplitude de l’excitation de modes sphéroïdaux, dû aux effets de couplage entre l’atmosphère et le sol. Ce manuscrit de thèse est consacré à l’investigation et la modélisation des ondes de Rayleigh générées par des météores. Un rappel général des avancées en sciences planétaires est d’abord fourni, avec un focus sur la sismologie planétaire et les études des sources sismiques atmosphériques. Ensuite, la théorie concernant les ondes de choc dans l’atmosphère et au sol est présentée plus en détails. Dans le cas de la formation d’une onde de choc dans l’atmosphère, l’effet de transition d’un régime de propagation non linéaire vers un régime linéaire est documenté pour le superbolide de Chelyabinsk. Pour la génération d’ondes dans la subsurface, un impact de météorite sur la lune est passé en revue, en utilisant des codes hydrodynamiques. Une analyse comparée de ces deux cas est réalisée de façon à présenter les processus de transition du régime de propagation. Une inversion de la source sismique du superbolide de Chelyabinsk est effectuée, de manière à examiner les propriétés de la source associée dans l’atmosphère terrestre. Nous avons développé une source multiple, composée d’une série de points source consécutifs, basé sur une trajectoire fournie. Les calculs des sismogrammes synthétiques des ondes de Rayleigh associées à l’événement sont réalisés par la sommation des modes propres du modèle de la partie solide et de la partie atmosphérique de la planète. A travers une technique d’inversion basée sur la décomposition des valeurs singulières et la méthode du moindre carré, nous fournissons des solutions pour la magnitude du moment. De plus, nous avons trouvé dans les données sismiques un effet Doppler, associée à la directivité de la source. En plus, nous avons réalisé des modélisations 3-D basées sur la méthode des éléments spectraux dans le cas d’un modèle solide uniquement, de façon à comprendre les effets des caractéristiques 3-D crustales, et surligner les différences avec une source inversée dans le sol par rapport à une source correctement positionnée dans l’atmosphère. Dans le cas de Mars, la sommation des modes propres est utilisée pour fournir les formes d’ondes associées aux impacts à la surface de la planète ou à basse altitude dans l’atmosphère martienne. Il est montré que la contribution du mode solide sphéroïdal fondamental domine les formes d’onde, par rapport aux deux premières harmoniques. La comparaison entre les amplitudes de sismogramme synthétiques de tailles différentes, montre que les petits impacteurs (diamètre de 0,5 mètre à 2 mètres) peuvent être détectés par les capteurs VBB de SEIS, seulement pour les hautes fréquences des ondes de Rayleigh, même pour des distances épicentrales très faibles.Meteoric events constitute a source of paramount importance for Planetary Seismology, since their locations and, in some cases, their occurence times can be accurately known from orbiters, tracking or visual inspections. Their contribution is enhanced in the case of a seismic experi- ment with one seismometer, as the SEIS (Seismic Experiment of Interior Structure) of the im- minent Martian mission “InSight” (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), as the known location allows a direct inversion of differential travel times and wave forms for structure identification. Meteor impacts generate body and surface waves when they reach the surface of a planet. When they explode into the atmosphere, they generate shock waves which are converted into linear, seismic waves in the solid part and acoustic waves in the atmosphere. This effect can be modeled as the amplitude of Rayleigh and other Spheroidal modes excitation, due to atmo- spheric/ground coupling effects. This PhD dissertation is focusing on the investigation and modeling of the meteor generated Rayleigh waves. A brief recall to the advance of planetary science with focus on planetary seismology and the study of atmospheric seismic sources is presented. Thereafter, the theory concerning the shock waves in the atmosphere and in the ground is presented in further detail. In the case of shock wave generation in the atmosphere, the effect of transition from a highly nonlinear propagation regime to the linear one is presented for Chelyabinsk superbolide. In the case of the generation in the subsurface, a meteor impact on the Moon is investigated, using hydrodynamic codes. A comparative analysis of both cases is performed in order to present the transition processes of the propagation regime. An inversion of the seismic source of Chelyabinsk superbolide is performed, in order to examine the properties of the associated source in Earth’s atmosphere. We develop a line source, made of a series of consecutive point sources, based on a provided trajectory. The calculation of synthetic seismograms of Rayleigh waves associated to the event is performed by the summation of normal modes of a model for the solid part and the atmosphere of the planet. Through an inversion technique based on singular value decomposition and least square method, solutions for the moment magnitude are provided. Moreover we found in the seismic data a Doppler effect, associated with the directivity of the source. In addition, we perform 3D modeling based on spectral element method in a purely solid model, to assess the effects of 3D crustal features and highlight differences with a source inverted in the ground versus on a source correctly positioned in the atmosphere. In the case of Mars, normal mode summation is used in order to provide waveforms asso- ciated to impacts on the planetary surface or in low altitudes in the martian atmosphere. It is shown that the contribution of the fundamental spheroidal solid mode is dominating the wave- forms, compared to the one of the first two overtones. The comparison between the amplitudes of synthetic seismograms of different size, show that small impactors (diameter of 0.5 to 2 meters) can be detected by the SEIS VBB seismometer of InSight mission, only in the higher frequencies of Rayleigh waves, even for short epicentral distances. An analysis based on im- pact rate estimations enables to calculate the number of detectable events of meteor impacts for projectiles with diameter greater than 1 meter and it leads to the conclusion of 6.7 to 13.4 detectable impacts during a Mars year, the nominal operational period of InSight mission. Finally, an analysis on the ground characteristics of a shallow low velocity zone under InSight landing site is presented. Through an investigation by classical test of geomechanics, it is shown that this zone is supposed to affect the quality of seismic signals

Inversion of Meteor Rayleigh Waves on Earth and Modeling of Air Coupled Rayleigh Waves on Mars

International audienceMeteor impacts and/or meteor events generate body and surface seismic waves on the surface of a planet. When meteoroids burst in the atmosphere, they generate shock waves that subsequently convert into acoustic waves in the atmosphere and seismic waves in the ground. This effect can be modeled as the amplitude of Rayleigh and other Spheroidal modes excitation, due to atmospheric/ground coupling effects.First, an inversion of the seismic source of Chelyabinsk superbolide is performed. We develop an approach in order to model a line source in the atmosphere, corresponding to the consecutive generation of shock waves by the interaction with the atmosphere. The model is based on the known trajectory. We calculate the synthetic seismograms of Rayleigh waves associated with the event by the summation of normal modes of a model of the solid part and the atmosphere of the planet. Through an inversion technique based on singular value decomposition, we perform a full Rayleigh wave inversion and we provide solutions for the moment magnitude.SEIS will likely detect seismic waves generated by impacts and the later might be further located by remote sensing differential processing. In the case of Mars, we use the same method to obtain waveforms associated with impacts on the planetary surface or in low altitudes in the Martian atmosphere. We show that the contribution of the fundamental spheroidal solid mode is dominating the waveforms, compared to that of the first two overtones. We perform an amplitude comparison and we show that small impactors (diameter of 0.5 to 2 m), can be detected by the SEIS VBB seismometer of InSight mission, even in short epicentral distances, in the higher frequencies of the Rayleigh waves. We perform an analysis based on impact rate estimations and we calculate the number of detectable events of 1 meter diameter meteor impacts to be 6.7 to 13.4 per 1 Martian year for a Q=50

The investigation of the Mechanical Properties of the Martian soils at the InSight Mission Landing Site

International audienc

The interaction between the SEIS seismometer of the InSight Martian mission and a regolith simulant

International audienceA detailed investigation of the interaction between a Martian regolith simulant and the foot of a seismometer (SEIS) recently deployed on the surface of Mars within the NASA InSight mission has been conducted. A specific device used to investigate the SEIS/ground interaction was improved to provide accurate measurements of low forces and displacements, with a higher system stiffness and appropriate thermal insulation. A series of tests were carried out with a 60 mm diameter disk and the SEIS foot (disk with a spike in the disk centre). The maximum disk penetration in the loose sand used as simulant under the SEIS weight (10 N) was between 400 and 600 µm, with a tiny effect of the spike. Load cycles under various forces were performed to investigate the elastic interaction, with good reversibility and a linear change of the Young modulus with respect to the average vertical stress. The tests provided comparable values, showing that the Young modulus was around 20 MPa, compatible with that of loose terrestrial sands and agreeing well with the seismic wave velocities at surface (from laboratory experiments and from measuring on the surface of Mars the travel times of waves received by the SEIS seismometer)

Scattering Attenuation of the Martian Interior through Coda Wave Analysis

International audienceWe investigate the scattering attenuation characteristics of the Martian crust and uppermost mantle to understand the structure of the Martian interior. We examine the energy decay of the spectral envelopes for 21 high-quality Martian seismic events from Sol 128 to Sol 500 of InSight operations. We use the model of Dainty et al. (1974b) to approximate the behavior of energy envelopes resulting from scattered wave propagation through a single diffusive layer over an elastic half-space. Using a grid search, we mapped the layer parameters that fit the observed InSight data envelopes. The single diffusive layer model provided better fits to the observed energy envelopes for High Frequency (HF) and Very High Frequency (VF) than for the Low Frequency (LF) and Broadband (BB) events. This result is consistent with the suggested source depths (Giardini et al., 2020) for these families of events and their expected interaction with a shallow scattering layer. The shapes of the observed data envelopes do not show a consistent pattern with event distance, suggesting that the diffusivity and scattering layer thickness is non-uniform in the vicinity of InSight at Mars. Given the consistency in the envelope shapes between HF and VF events across epicentral distances and the tradeoffs between the parameters that control scattering, the dimensions of the scattering layer remain unconstrained but require that scattering strength decreases with depth and that the rate of decay in scattering strength is fastest near the surface. This is generally consistent with the processes that would form scattering structures in planetary lithospheres

Erratum to: An Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Some Martian Regolith Simulants with Respect to the Surface Properties at the InSight Mission Landing Site

During article processing an error occurred in one of the author’s names. The author’s name“Sharon Kedar” has been corrected in the original article and should be regarded as finalversion by the reader.The online version of the original article can be found under doi:10.1007/s11214-017-0339-7International audienc

An Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Some Martian Regolith Simulants with Respect to the Surface Properties at the InSight Mission Landing Site

International audienceIn support of the InSight mission in which two instruments (the SEIS seismometer and the HP3 heat flow probe) will interact directly with the regolith on the surface of Mars, a series of mechanical tests were conducted on three different regolith simulants to better understand the observations of the physical and mechanical parameters that will be derived from InSight. The mechanical data obtained were also compared to data on terrestrial sands. The density of the regolith strongly influences its mechanical properties, as determined from the data on terrestrial sands. The elastoplastic compression volume changes were investigated through oedometer tests that also provided estimates of possible changes in density with depth. The results of direct shear tests provided values of friction angles that were compared with that of a terrestrial sand, and an extrapolation to lower density provided a friction angle compatible with that estimated from previous observations on the surface of Mars. The importance of the contracting/dilating shear volume changes of sands on the dynamic penetration of the mole was determined, with penetration facilitated by the ∼1.3 Mg/m3 density estimated at the landing site. Seismic velocities, measured by means of piezoelectric bender elements in triaxial specimens submitted to various isotropic confining stresses, show the importance of the confining stress, with lesser influence of density changes under compression. A power law relation of velocity as a function of confining stress with an exponent of 0.3 was identified from the tests, allowing an estimate of the surface seismic velocity of 150 m/s. The effect on the seismic velocity of a 10% proportion of rock in the regolith was also studied. These data will be compared with in situ data measured by InSight after landing

A numerical model of the SEIS leveling system transfer matrix and resonances: application to SEIS rotational seismology and dynamic ground interaction.

International audienceThe 6 seismic sensors of the SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure) instrument of the NASA InSight mission, the 3 VBBs (Very Broad Band) and 3 SPs (Short Period), are placed on a leveling system. This system provides the mechanical coupling of the instrument to the ground and ensure a level placement of the sensors on the Martian ground under yet unknown local conditions. We developed a simplified analytical model of this structure in order to reproduce its mechanical behavior by predicting its resonances and transfer function. This allows to estimate its effect on the data recorded on Mars by the VBBs and SPs. Moreover, the model can also help to constrain the subsurface properties and proves the possibility to make rotational seismology by estimating the performances of the 6 axes seismometer which are good enough for determining the wavefield gradient of the high-amplitude surface waves generated by the HP3 mole penetration. This will allow the measurement of the phase velocity of the associated Rayleigh waves