Development of a new parallel code for 3-D joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography of wide-angle seismic data - synthetic and real data applications to the study of subduction zones

Memoria de tesis doctoral presentada por Adrià Meléndez Catalán para optar al grado de Doctor en Ciencias de la Tierra por la Universitat de Barcelona (UB), realizada bajo la dirección del Dr. Valentí Sallarès i Casas del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), del Dr. César Rodríguez Ranero del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) y del profesor Jun Korenaga.-- 171 pages[EN] This dissertation is devoted to seismic tomography. I have implemented a new modelling tool for 3-D joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography of wide-angle seismic data (TOMO3D). The reason behind this central objective is the evidence that the information based on 2-D seismic data does not allow to capture the structural complexity of many 3-D targets, and in particular that of the seismogenic zone in subduction margins. The scientific rationale for this statement, which justifies the central part of my thesis work, is based on the analysis of 2-D models obtained in the convergent margin of Nicaragua, a seismically active area where a textbook example of tsunami earthquake took place in 1992. In this application I modelled two perpendicular wide-angle seismic profiles for the characterisation of the overriding plate and the interplate fault. To do this, I applied TOMO2D, a state-of-the-art joint refraction and reflection 2-D travel-time tomography code. The inversion outcomes are two 2-D velocity models along both profiles, together with the 1-D geometry of the interplate boundary. In combination with other geophysical data measurements, namely coincident multichannel seismic profiles and gravity data, these models provide new constraints on the nature and structure of the margin, and in particular add new insights on the nucleation and propagation of the said earthquake and its tsunamigenic behaviour. Ultimately, this case study evidences the aforementioned limitations of 2-D modelling in the investigation of 3-D geological structures and phenomena. Following from this first application and with the idea of increasing the amount of data used in travel-time tomography, I focused on an a priori paradoxical phenomenon related to water-layer multiple phases, that under certain circumstances, is observed on wide-angle record sections. The interest of this study lies in the fact that this phenomenon can provide additional constraints on travel-time tomography models. First, I propose and corroborate the hypothesis explaining the apparent paradox, and then derive the most favourable geological conditions for the phenomenon to occur. Subsequently, the possibility to model this multiple-like phases is introduced in TOMO3D. [...][CAT] Aquesta tesi està dedicada a la tomografia sísmica. Concretament, he implementat una eina de modelització 3D per a la tomografia conjunta de temps de trajecte de refraccions i reflexions (TOMO3D). La raó darrere d'aquest objectiu és l'evidència de que la informació basada en dades sísmiques 2D no permet copsar la complexitat de gran part dels cossos geològics, i en particular de la zona sismogènica en marges de subducció. El desenvolupament del TOMO3D es basa en el TOMO2D, un codi d'avantguarda per a la tomografia conjunta de refraccions i reflexions en 2D. Els arxius de codi han estat reescrits, redefinint i introduint les funcions necessàries per dur a terme la inversió 3D. Els testos fets amb la versió seqüencial del codi posen de manifest la necessitat de paral·lelització ja que l'increment de la mida dels conjunts de dades així com la modelització de la dimensió espacial afegida fan que les inversions siguin computacionalment exigents. La versió paral·lelitzada del TOMO3D ha sigut aplicada a un cas sintètic complex que simula una zona de subducció. Aquesta primera aplicació 3D serveix per avaluar la correcció de la programació del codi, i com a descripció pas a pas del procediment de modelització. Els resultats demostren la capacitat del codi per recuperar acuradament la distribució de velocitat i la geometria dels dos reflectors. Finalment, el TOMO3D és aplicat a un conjunt 3D de dades de sísmica de gran angle adquirit al marge pacífic d'Equador i Colòmbia per extreure'n un model 3D de la velocitat de les plaques cavalcant i subduïda, que és comparat amb el resultat obtingut amb un codi 3D de tomografia de temps de trajecte de refraccions (FAST). La comparació indica que el TOMO3D és més acurat que el FAST però al mateix temps és computacionalment més exigent. Tot i així, la paral·lelització del TOMO3D permet utilitzar plataformes de supercomputació, a diferència del que passa amb el FAST i la majoria de codis existents. [...]Peer Reviewe

tomo3d: a new 3-D joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography code for active-source seismic data

European Geosciences Union General Assembly 22-27 April 2012, Vienna, Austria.-- 1 pageWe present the development state of tomo3d, a code for three-dimensional refraction and reflection travel-time tomography of wide-angle seismic data based on the previous two-dimensional version of the code, tomo2d. The core of both forward and inverse problems is inherited from the 2-D version. The ray tracing is performed by a hybrid method combining the graph and bending methods. The graph method finds an ordered array of discrete model nodes, which satisfies Fermat’s principle, that is, whose corresponding travel time is a global minimum within the space of discrete nodal connections. The bending method is then applied to produce a more accurate ray path by using the nodes as support points for an interpolation with beta-splines. Travel time tomography is formulated as an iterative linearized inversion, and each step is solved using an LSQR algorithm. In order to avoid the singularity of the sensitivity kernel and to reduce the instability of inversion, regularization parameters are introduced in the inversion in the form of smoothing and damping constraints. Velocity models are built as 3-D meshes, and velocity values at intermediate locations are obtained by trilinear interpolation within the corresponding pseudo-cubic cell. Meshes are sheared to account for topographic relief. A floating reflector is represented by a 2-D grid, and depths at intermediate locations are calculated by bilinear interpolation within the corresponding square cell. The trade-off between the resolution of the final model and the associated computational cost is controlled by the relation between the selected forward star for the graph method (i.e. the number of nodes that each node considers as its neighbors) and the refinement of the velocity mesh. Including reflected phases is advantageous because it provides a better coverage and allows us to define the geometry of those geological interfaces with velocity contrasts sharp enough to be observed on record sections. The code also offers the possibility of including water-layer multiples in the modeling, whenever this phase can be followed to greater offsets than the primary phases. This increases the quantity of useful information in the data and yields more extensive and better constrained velocity and geometry models. We will present results from benchmark tests for forward and inverse problems, as well as synthetic tests comparing an inversion with refractions only and another one with both refractions and reflectionPeer Reviewe

Overriding plate structure of the Nicaragua convergent margin: Relationship to the seismogenic zone of the 1992 tsunami earthquake

We present 2-D seismic velocity models and coincident multichannel seismic reflection images of the overriding plate and the inter-plate boundary of the Nicaragua convergent margin along two wide-angle seismic profiles parallel and normal to the trench acquired in the rupture area of the 1992 tsunami earthquake. The trench-perpendicular profile runs over a seamount subducting under the margin slope, at the location where seismological observations predict large coseismic slip. Along this profile, the igneous basement shows increasing velocity both with depth and away from the trench, reflecting a progressive decrease in upper-plate rock degree of fracturing. Upper mantle-like velocities are obtained at approximate to 10 km depth beneath the fore-arc Sandino basin, indicating a shallow mantle wedge. A mismatch of the inter-plate reflector in the velocity models and along coincident multichannel seismic profiles under the slope is best explained by approximate to 15% velocity anisotropy, probably caused by subvertical open fractures that may be related to fluid paths feeding known seafloor seepage sites. The presence of a shallow, partially serpentinized mantle wedge, and the fracture-related anisotropy are supported by gravity analysis of velocity-derived density models. The downdip limit of inter-plate seismicity occurs near the tip of the inferred mantle wedge, suggesting that seismicity could be controlled by the presence of serpentinite group minerals at the fault gouge. Near the trench, the inferred local increase of normal stress produced by the subducting seamount in the plate boundary may have made this fault segment unstable during earthquake rupture, which could explain its tsunamigenic character

Preservation of uniform continuity under pointwise product

Let $X$ be a uniform space and $U(X)$ the linear space of real-valued uniformly continuous functions on $X$. Our main objective is to give a number of properties characterizing the fact that $U(X)$ is stable under pointwise product in case $X$ is a metric space. Some of these characterizations hold in much more general circumstances.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures; with minor corrections to the published version, mainly in the conclusion of the proof of Proposition 2.

Large slip, long duration, and moderate shaking of the Nicaragua 1992 tsunami earthquake caused by low near-trench rock rigidity

Large earthquake ruptures propagating up to areas close to subduction trenches are infrequent, but when they occur, they heavily displace the ocean seafloor originating destructive tsunamis. The current paradigm is that the large seafloor deformation is caused by local factors reducing friction and increasing megathrust fault slip, or prompting the activation of ancillary faults or energy sources. As alternative to site-specific models, it has been proposed that large shallow slip could result from depth-dependent rock rigidity variations. To confront both hypotheses, here, we map elastic rock properties across the rupture zone of the M S 7.0- M W 7.7 1992 Nicaragua tsunami earthquake to estimate a property-compatible finite fault solution. The obtained self-consistent model accounts for trenchward increasing slip, constrains stress drop, and explains key tsunami earthquake characteristics such as long duration, high-frequency depletion, and magnitude discrepancy. The confirmation that these characteristics are all intrinsic attributes of shallow rupture opens new possibilities to improve tsunami hazard assessment

The heterogeneous distribution of elastic properties in the tsunamigenic region of subduction zones

European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2020, 4-8 May 2020In the shallow region of subduction zones, topographic variations of the interplate interface condition the structural integrity of the upper plate, and thus the distribution of elastic properties in this region, which determines its tsunamigenic potential. Yet, we know little about the distribution of elastic properties in these shallow regions, which yields large uncertainty during tsunami hazard assessment. Here we assess topographic variations of the interplate boundary as well as the distribution of elastic properties of the upper plate in two tsunamigenic regions of the Middle American Trench. We focus on the rupture area of three tsunami earthquakes, the 1992 Nicaragua event, and the 1932 and 1995 Jalisco-Colima earthquakes (Pacific Mexican coast). We use 2D coincident wide-angle (WAS) and multichannel seismic (MCS) lines acquired across the rupture area of each event to jointly invert refracted and reflected travel-times (TT) and obtain the P-wave velocity (Vp) structure of the tsunamigenic region of the upper plate, and the geometry of the interplate boundary. Mixing both types of seismic data allowed for the first time to retrieve small-scale local topographic variations of the interplate that would have been omitted with the classical inversion of WAS TT. From Vp, we derive other elastic parameters namely, density, S-wave velocity, and rigidity using well-established empirical relationships. The results show that the heterogeneous distribution of the elastic properties of the upper plate in the shallow tsunamigenic region correlates with topographic variations of the interplate in both margins. These results not only sustain the direct relationship between the interplate relief and the tectonic structure of the overriding plate as it has been already stated by previous authors, but they also allow to quantify the relationship between topographic highs of the subducted plate with low rigidity regions in the upper plate. This quantification is of paramount importance in these shallow regions of the subduction, because low rigidity implies high slip during coseismic deformation, and therefore, high tsunamigenic potential. The heterogeneous distribution of elastic properties inferred for the upper plate in this study should be considered during tsunami modeling, tsunami hazard assessment and tsunami early warning system

Effects on intermittent postural control in people with Parkinson's due to a dual task

Objectives The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of performing a dual task on the sway density plot parameters in Parkinson's disease and control subjects. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to establish differences in the mean peak, mean time, and mean distance between a group with Parkinson's disease and a control group without Parkinson's disease. The subjects performed, in a unique measurement session, two trials under three different randomized conditions: i. eyes open, ii. eyes closed, and iii. Eyes open with foam base. One trial was performed as a single task (i.e., the subjects completed one of the balance test), while the other trial was performed as a dual task (i.e., the subjects performed a cognitive task at the same time that they maintained the static balance). Results There was a group x dual task x condition effect in mean peak (F1.5, 51.1 = 5.21; p = 0.015; η2p = 0.13) and mean time (F1.4, 47.3 = 4.43; p = 0.03; η2p = 0.11) variables. According dual-task cost analysis, there was a main effect of the condition (F6,134 = 2.44; p = 0.05; η2p = 0.34) on MD (F2,68 = 6.90; p < 0.01; η2p = 0.17). Conclusions This result indicates differences in the dual task interference in the postural control mechanisms between the Parkinson's disease population and healthy pairs. For easy dual tasks, the Parkinson subjects used anticipatory control responses for longer periods of time, and for more difficult tasks, their control strategy did not change regarding single balance task

Development of a New Parallel Code for 3-D Joint Refraction and Reflection Travel-Time Tomography of Wide-Angle Seismic Data. Synthetic and Real Data Applications to the Study of Subduction Zones

[cat] Aquesta tesi està dedicada a la tomografia sísmica. Concretament, he implementat una eina de modelització 3D per a la tomografia conjunta de temps de trajecte de refraccions i reflexions (TOMO3D). La raó darrere d'aquest objectiu és l'evidència de que la informació basada en dades sísmiques 2D no permet copsar la complexitat de gran part dels cossos geològics, i en particular de la zona sismogènica en marges de subducció. El desenvolupament del TOMO3D es basa en el TOMO2D, un codi d'avantguarda per a la tomografia conjunta de refraccions i reflexions en 2D. Els arxius de codi han estat reescrits, redefinint i introduint les funcions necessàries per dur a terme la inversió 3D. Els testos fets amb la versió seqüencial del codi posen de manifest la necessitat de paral·lelització ja que l'increment de la mida dels conjunts de dades així com la modelització de la dimensió espacial afegida fan que les inversions siguin computacionalment exigents. La versió paral·lelitzada del TOMO3D ha sigut aplicada a un cas sintètic complex que simula una zona de subducció. Aquesta primera aplicació 3D serveix per avaluar la correcció de la programació del codi, i com a descripció pas a pas del procediment de modelització. Els resultats demostren la capacitat del codi per recuperar acuradament la distribució de velocitat i la geometria dels dos reflectors. Finalment, el TOMO3D és aplicat a un conjunt 3D de dades de sísmica de gran angle adquirit al marge pacífic d'Equador i Colòmbia per extreure'n un model 3D de la velocitat de les plaques cavalcant i subduïda, que és comparat amb el resultat obtingut amb un codi 3D de tomografia de temps de trajecte de refraccions (FAST). La comparació indica que el TOMO3D és més acurat que el FAST però al mateix temps és computacionalment més exigent. Tot i així, la paral·lelització del TOMO3D permet utilitzar plataformes de supercomputació, a diferència del que passa amb el FAST i la majoria de codis existents.[eng] This dissertation is devoted to seismic tomography. I have implemented a new modelling tool for 3-D joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography of wide-angle seismic data (TOMO3D). The reason behind this central objective is the evidence that the information based on 2-D seismic data does not allow to capture the structural complexity of many 3-D targets, and in particular that of the seismogenic zone in subduction margins. The scientific rationale for this statement, which justifies the central part of my thesis work, is based on the analysis of 2-D models obtained in the convergent margin of Nicaragua, a seismically active area where a textbook example of tsunami earthquake took place in 1992. In this application I modelled two perpendicular wide-angle seismic profiles for the characterisation of the overriding plate and the interplate fault. To do this, I applied TOMO2D, a state-of-the-art joint refraction and reflection 2-D travel-time tomography code. The inversion outcomes are two 2-D velocity models along both profiles, together with the 1-D geometry of the interplate boundary. In combination with other geophysical data measurements, namely coincident multichannel seismic profiles and gravity data, these models provide new constraints on the nature and structure of the margin, and in particular add new insights on the nucleation and propagation of the said earthquake and its tsunamigenic behaviour. Ultimately, this case study evidences the aforementioned limitations of 2-D modelling in the investigation of 3-D geological structures and phenomena. Following from this first application and with the idea of increasing the amount of data used in travel-time tomography, I focused on an a priori paradoxical phenomenon related to water-layer multiple phases, that under certain circumstances, is observed on wide-angle record sections. The interest of this study lies in the fact that this phenomenon can provide additional constraints on travel-time tomography models. First, I propose and corroborate the hypothesis explaining the apparent paradox, and then derive the most favourable geological conditions for the phenomenon to occur. Subsequently, the possibility to model this multiple-like phases is introduced in TOMO3D. The development of TOMO3D, which constitutes the core of my work, is founded on TOMO2D, from which it inherits the numerical methods for solving the forward and inverse problems. Source files have been rewritten, redefining and introducing the necessary variables and functions to handle 3-D data inversion. The tests made with the sequential version of the code emphasise the need of parallelisation for practicality reasons. Indeed, the increasing size of data sets along with the modelling of the additional spatial dimension results in computationally demanding inversions. Hence, I parallelised the forward modelling part of the code, which takes up to 90% of the computing time, with a combination of multiprocessing and message-passing interface extensions. Subsequently, the parallel version of TOMO3D is applied to a complex synthetic case simulating a subduction zone. This first 3-D application serves to evaluate the correctness of the code's programming, and as step-by-step description of the modelling procedure, with particular attention on the layer-stripping strategy used to successively model several reflectors. The outcomes demonstrate the ability of the code and the chosen inversion strategy to accurately recover the velocity distribution and the geometry of the two reflectors. Finally, TOMO3D is applied to a real 3-D wide-angle seismic data set acquired at the Pacific margin of Ecuador and Colombia to extract a 3-D velocity model of the overriding and incoming plates, which is then compared to previous results obtained with an extensively tested and used 3-D refraction travel-time tomography code (FAST). The comparison indicates that TOMO3D is more accurate than FAST but at the same time it is computationally more demanding. However, the parallelisation of TOMO3D allows using high-performance computing facilities, which is not the case of FAST or most of the existing codes

Origin of water layer multiple phases with anomalously high amplitude in near-seafloor wide-angle seismic recordings

10 pages, 5 figures, 3 tablesWater layer multiple seismic phases are recorded at ocean bottom seismometers and hydrophones as arrivals that correspond to the reflection of the primary phases at the sea-free air interface. In regions of low to moderate seabed relief, the shape of these phases mimics that of the primary phases with a traveltime delay that depends on the water layer thickness at the receiver location. Given their longer travel paths, multiple phases should have smaller amplitudes than their corresponding primary phases. However, depending on the geological context it can be relatively common to observe the opposite, which results in the identification of the multiple phases at longer offsets than the primary events. In this paper, we examine the origin of this apparently paradoxical phenomenon by analysing the combined effect of the major factors potentially involved: the source frequency content, the subsurface velocity distribution, the receiver-seafloor distance, the geometrical spreading and attenuation of sound waves and the ambient noise level.We use synthetic modelling to show that for certain combinations of these factors, the interference between the multiple and its reflection at the seafloor is constructive and has a higher amplitude than the primary wave. Our analysis indicates that in the most favourable cases the phases resulting from this interference can be observed at offsets some tens of kilometres longer than their corresponding primary phases, and thus they can provide useful information for velocity modelling. © The Authors 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical SocietyThis work was conducted under the umbrella of the CSIC-Repsol collaboration project CO-DOS and of the MICINN project POSEIDON (CTM2010–21569) at the Grup de Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona Center for Subsurface Imaging (Barcelona-CSI) of the Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC)Peer Reviewe

Appraisal of joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography in the context of weathering correction: a feasibility study with a synthetic model

EGU General Assembly 2010, 2-7 May, 2010, Vienna, AustriaWe propose an application of joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography in the context of statics correction associated to the presence of the weathering layer, constituted by the shallowest, most altered part of the subsurface. This layer shows very low seismic velocity due to its exposure to weather conditions such as aeolian erosion, fluvial drainage systems, etc. The presence of this layer affects the quality of seismic images, most especially those obtained with near vertical reflection seismic profiles, as it significantly attenuates seismic waves travelling through it and consequently severely distorts seismic data in different ways, modifying, for instance, arrival times and amplitudes. A wide variety of methods and techniques both in data acquisition and processing, including travel-time tomography, have been implemented to characterize the layer and to obtain the parameters, essentially thickness and mean seismic velocity, needed to reduce these effects. Nonetheless, results are presently not completely satisfactory in some cases and suggested solutions are often not recommendable because of high economic cost or of difficult application due to technical limitations. The innovative aspect of our approach is the combination of both refracted and reflected phases in the tomographic inversion. This remarkably reduces the trade-off between depth and velocity of the base of the weathering layer, in comparison to only using either refractions or reflections. Moreover, these necessary data can be easily obtained from record sections: refractions, i.e. first arrivals, can be straightforwardly identified and picked, in some cases even automatically, while the reflection at the bottom of the weathering layer is the most visible one because of the high impedance contrast with the underlying basement. Applying the joint refraction and reflection tomography allows for the determination of a velocity distribution for the layer as well as the position of its lower boundary. This information is crucial for the seismic data processing as it enables to remove the effects of the low velocity layer on the record sections and thus the obtention of better images of the subsoil. In order to test this method, we performed a synthetic test. Synthetic data were generated for a synthetic model of the weathering layer (true model), with an acquisition geometry simulating that of production seismic experiments. Subsequently, an initial model for the inversion process was created by adding a velocity perturbation to the target model and by displacing the original bottom reflector a certain amount. The results obtained after the inversion are rather satisfactory: travel-time residuals were reduced in an order of magnitude from ~1 s to ~0.1 s, and the location of the reflector was constrained to within ±2 m at a depth of ~100 m. An additional advantage of this approach is that it is possible to estimate the uncertainty of the model parameters. To do this we have performed a Monte Carlo-based statistical analysis to calculate the mean deviation and its relative improvement, i.e. reduction, after the inversion, for both the velocity distribution and the depth of the floating reflector. The mean deviation of velocity parameters improves between 10% and 50%, and the depth range of possible reflectors was reduced from 10 m to 2 m. As expected, the maximum improvement is obtained in the regions covered by both refracted and reflected waves, whereas in the zones covered by reflections only the trade-off between velocity and reflector depth is much higher. The latter indicates the importance of using both refracted and reflected phases in the inversion in order to obtain meaningful results. These synthetic results suggest that the proposed method works properly and in consequence we are currently testing it with real dataPeer Reviewe