Converted phase identification and retrieval of Vp/Vs ratios from move-out reflection analysis: application to the Campi Flegrei caldera

Here, we propose a method for the determination of Vp/Vs ratios in a horizontally layered propagation media using maximization of a coherency function along theoretical travel-times of PS reflected phases. The theoretical travel-times are computed using the information about the propagation media that is extracted by velocity analysis or by topographic analysis performed on the first arrivals. The method is also a valid tool for the identification of the PS phases associated with a fixed seismic reflector, and it is particularly suitable for data that is stored in common mid-point and common conversion point bin- ning; for this kind of data the hypothesis of horizontally and layered media can usually be verified. We applied the method to both simulated and real datasets. The use of the real data that was acquired in the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy) allowed us to estimate a relatively high Vp/Vs ratio (3.5 ± 0.6) for a very shallow layer (maximum depth, 600 m). This hypothesis has been tested by theoretical rock physical modeling of the Vp/Vs ratios as a function of porosity, suggesting that the shallow layer appears to be formed of unconsolidated, water-saturated, volcanic and marine sediments that filled Pozzuoli Bay during the post-caldera activity

Ground Truth Collection for Mining Explosions in Northern Fennoscandia and Northwestern Russia

We concluded comprehensive ground truth collection at the Khibiny, Olenegorsk, Kovdor, and Zapolyarnyi mines, and have basic information on 2,052 explosions. In the past two years we used this ground truth information to extract waveform data from the ARCES array and a number of regional stations (KEV, LVZ, APA) as well as from six stations that we deployed along two lines stretching between the Khibiny Massif mines and the region around the ARCES array. We calculated P/S ratios using the ARCES array data for many of these events comprising several source types (compact underground explosions, underground ripple-fired explosions, surface ripple-fired explosions). We found that the P/S ratios of small compact underground explosions in mines of the Khibiny Massif are systematically lower than the P/S ratios of large ripple-fired surface explosions. We had anticipated that smaller underground shots would appear more like single well-coupled explosions, thus having higher P/S ratios than large ripple-fired explosions. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is that the compact underground explosions in these mines are designed to fracture and drop a large quantity of ore from the ceiling of a horizontal shaft. The potential energy released by the falling ore may express as shear wave energy, which may be considerably greater than the (P wave) energy released directly by the explosive. We concluded the deployment of the six stations along the Khibiny-ARCES lines this past summer; this year we are examining the data from these stations to see how P/S ratios vary with range from the source. We have an update on the P/S ratio analysis contrasting different source types, with the addition of an analysis of range dependence using data from the temporary stations. The portable stations were redeployed in the fall of 2004 to the Kiruna and Malmberget underground mines in northern Sweden. The stations deployed in Malmberget also record events from the surface mining operations at the Aitik mine, located some 15 km from Malmberget mine. The data from these stations will allow comparisons of seismic waveforms resulting from different types of shooting practices at different locations within the mines. These stations will provide ground truth on a large number of explosions at these mines allowing future analyses of the dependence of discriminants on source type, possibly assessing the portability of results obtained with the Khibiny explosion observations

P and S velocity sturcture of the crust and the upper mantle beneath Central Java from local tomography inversion

Here we present the results of local source tomographic inversion beneath central Java. The data set was collected by a temporary seismic network. More than 100 stations were operated for almost half a year. About 13,000 P and S arrival times from 292 events were used to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs models of the crust and the mantle wedge beneath central Java. Source location and determination of the 3-D velocity models were performed simultaneously based on a new iterative tomographic algorithm, LOTOS-06. Final event locations clearly image the shape of the subduction zone beneath central Java. The dipping angle of the slab increases gradually from almost horizontal to about 70°. A double seismic zone is observed in the slab between 80 and 150 km depth. The most striking feature of the resulting P and S models is a pronounced low-velocity anomaly in the crust, just north of the volcanic arc (Merapi-Lawu anomaly (MLA)). An algorithm for estimation of the amplitude value, which is presented in the paper, shows that the difference between the fore arc and MLA velocities at a depth of 10 km reaches 30% and 36% in P and S models, respectively. The value of the Vp/Vs ratio inside the MLA is more than 1.9. This shows a probable high content of fluids and partial melts within the crust. In the upper mantle we observe an inclined low-velocity anomaly which links the cluster of seismicity at 100 km depth with MLA. This anomaly might reflect ascending paths of fluids released from the slab. The reliability of all these patterns was tested thoroughly

Long-period surface motion of the multi-patch Mw9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake

We show that it is possible to capture the oscillatory ground motion induced by the Tohoku-Oki event for periods ranging from 3 to 100s using Precise Point Positioning (PPP). We find that the ground motions of the sedimentary basins of Japan were large (respectively > 0.15m/s and >0.15m/s2 for velocity and acceleration) even for periods larger than 3s. We compare geodetic observables with a Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE) designed for Japan seismicity and find that the Spectral Acceleration (SA) is well estimated for periods larger than 3s and distances ranging from 100 to 500km. At last, through the analysis of the displacement attenuation plots, we show that the 2011 Tohoku-Oki event is likely composed of multiple rupture patches as suggested before by time-reversal inversions of seismic data

Joint Inversion of Active and Passive Seismic Data in Central Java

Seismic and volcanic activities in Central Java, Indonesia, the area of interest of this study, are directly or indirectly related to the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate. In the framework of the MERapi AMphibious EXperiments (MERAMEX), a network consisting of about 130 seismographic stations was installed onshore and offshore in Central Java and operated for more than 150 days. In addition, 3-D active seismic experiments were carried out offshore. In this paper, we present the results of processing combined active and passive seismic data, which contain traveltimes from 292 local earthquakes and additional airgun shots along three offshore profiles. The inversion was performed using the updated LOTOS-06 code that allows processing for active and passive source data. The joint inversion of the active and passive data set considerably improves the resolution of the upper crust, especially in the offshore area in comparison to only passive data. The inversion results are verified using a series of synthetic tests. The resulting images showan exceptionally strong low-velocity anomaly (−30 per cent) in the backarc crust northward of the active volcanoes. In the upper mantle beneath the volcanoes, we observe a low-velocity anomaly inclined towards the slab, which probably reflects the paths of fluids and partially melted materials in the mantle wedge. The crust in the forearc appears to be strongly heterogeneous. The onshore part consists of two high-velocity blocks separated by a narrow low-velocity anomaly, which can be interpreted as a weakened contact zone between two rigid crustal bodies. The recent Java Mw = 6.3 earthquake (2006/05/26-UTC) occurred at the lower edge of this zone. Its focal strike slip mechanism is consistent with the orientation of this contact

Detection of ground motions using high-rate GPS time-series

Monitoring surface deformation in real-time help at planning and protecting infrastructures and populations, manage sensitive production (i.e. SEVESO-type) and mitigate long-term consequences of modifications implemented. We present RT-SHAKE, an algorithm developed to detect ground motions associated with landslides, sub-surface collapses, subsidences, earthquakes or rock falls. RT-SHAKE detects first transient changes in individual GPS time series before investigating for spatial correlation(s) of observations made at neighbouring GPS sites and eventually issue a motion warning. In order to assess our algorithm on fast (seconds to minute), large (from 1cm to meters) and spatially consistent surface motions, we use the 1Hz GEONET GNSS network data of the Tohoku-Oki MW9.0 2011 as a test scenario. We show the delay of detection of seismic wave arrival by GPS records is of ~10 seconds with respect to an identical analysis based on strong-motion data and this time delay depends on the level of the time-variable noise. Nevertheless, based on the analysis of the GPS network noise level and ground motion stochastic model, we show that RT-SHAKE can narrow the range of earthquake magnitude, by setting a lower threshold of detected earthquakes to MW6.5-7, if associated with a real-time automatic earthquake location system

Seismic structure of the Arava Fault, Dead Sea Transform

Ein transversales Störungssystem im Nahen Osten, die Dead Sea Transform (DST), trennt die Arabische Platte von der Sinai-Mikroplatte und erstreckt sich von Süden nach Norden vom Extensionsgebiet im Roten Meer über das Tote Meer bis zur Taurus-Zagros Kollisionszone. Die sinistrale DST bildete sich im Miozän vor etwa 17 Ma und steht mit dem Aufbrechen des Afro-Arabischen Kontinents in Verbindung. Das Untersuchungsgebiet liegt im Arava Tal zwischen Totem und Rotem Meer, mittig über der Arava Störung (Arava Fault, AF), die hier den Hauptast der DST bildet. Eine Reihe seismischer Experimente, aufgebaut aus künstlichen Quellen, linearen Profilen über die Störung und entsprechend entworfenen Empfänger-Arrays, zeigt die Untergrundstruktur in der Umgebung der AF und der Verwerfungszone selbst bis in eine Tiefe von 3-4 km. Ein tomographisch bestimmtes Modell der seismischen Geschwindigkeiten von P-Wellen zeigt einen starken Kontrast nahe der AF mit niedrigeren Geschwindigkeiten auf der westlichen Seite als im Osten. Scherwellen lokaler Erdbeben liefern ein mittleres P-zu-S Geschwindigkeitsverhältnis und es gibt Anzeichen für Änderungen über die Störung hinweg ...thesi

Analysis of PS-to-PP amplitude ratios for seismic reflector characterisation: method and application

Elastic parameters derived from seismic reflection data provide information on the lithological contrast at an interface and support the geological interpretation.We present a method to estimate elastic parameter contrasts at a given interface in a 1-D layered medium from PS-to-PP amplitude ratios. The method is applied to synthetic data to demonstrate its possibilities and limitations. First results for real data acquired in the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy) reveal a gas-bearing layer at around 3 km depth and indicate a strong negative velocity contrast at 7.5 km depth, possibly related to the presence of partial melt.I.N.G.V.Published1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attiveope

S-Wave Identification by Polarization Filtering and Waveform Coherence Analyses

High-resolution imaging with microseismic events requires the use of large and consistent data sets of seismic phase arrival times. In particular the S phase is important to derive physical parameters of the subsurface. Typically this phase is identified on one of the horizontal seismogram components by a change of signal amplitude and frequency as compared to the previous P phase. However, reliable S-phase identification can be difficult for local events because of a signal overlap with the P coda, the presence of converted phases, and possible S-wave splitting due to anisotropy. In this study we propose a new data processing technique aiming at uniquely identifying the S-phase arrival using all available records from a seismic network. The technique combines polarization analysis of single three-component recordings of an event with analysis of lateral waveform coherence across the network. This makes it possible to construct seismic sections in which the first arrival is the S phase. This graphical representation can support an operator in both the analysis of single events and in semiautomatic analyses of large datasets. In addition, an automated stacking velocity analysis provides S-wave velocities from these sections. We demonstrate the applicability of this technique using synthetic seismograms, and we evaluate the efficacy on a dataset of three-component velocimeter records from local earthquakes of the Campania-Lucania Apennines (southern Italy) recorded by the Irpinia Seismic Network (ISNet)

From Induced Seismicity to Direct Time-Dependent Seismic Hazard

The growing installation of industrial facilities for subsurface exploration worldwide requires continuous refinements in understanding both the mechanisms by which seismicity is induced by field operations and the related seismic hazard. Particularly in proximity of densely populated areas, induced low-to-moderate magnitude seismicity characterized by high-frequency content can be clearly felt by the surrounding inhabitants and, in some cases, may produce damage. In this respect we propose a technique for time-dependent probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis to be used in geothermal fields as a monitoring tool for the effects of on-going field operations. The technique integrates the observed features of the seismicity induced by fluid injection and extraction with a local ground-motion prediction equation. The result of the analysis is the time-evolving probability of exceedance of peak ground acceleration (PGA), which can be compared with selected critical values to manage field operations. To evaluate the reliability of the proposed technique, we applied it to data collected in The Geysers geothermal field in northern California between 1 September 2007 and 15 November 2010. We show that the period considered the seismic hazard at The Geysers was variable in time and space, which is a consequence of the field operations and the variation of both seismicity rate and b-value. We conclude that, for the exposure period taken into account (i.e., two months), as a conservative limit, PGA values corresponding to the lowest probability of exceedance (e.g., 30%) must not be exceeded to ensure safe field operations. We suggest testing the proposed technique at other geothermal areas or in regions where seismicity is induced, for example, by hydrocarbon exploitation or carbon dioxide storage