A new method to constrain shallow crustal S-wave velocities based on direct P-wave amplitudes in receiver functions and its application in northeastern Tibet

SUMMARY The orientation of an ocean-bottom-seismometer (OBS) is a critical parameter for analysing three-component seismograms, but it is difficult to estimate because of the uncontrollable OBS posture after its deployment. In this study, we develop a new and effective method to estimate the OBS orientation by fitting the amplitude of direct P wave of teleseismic receiver functions. The reliability of this method is verified using synthetic data and observed waveforms recorded at land seismic stations in Shandong Province, China. Our extensive synthetic tests show that our new method is little affected by a thin sedimentary layer that has a low S-wave velocity. The orientations of OBS stations that we deployed in the Yap subduction zone in the Western Pacific Ocean are estimated and corrected using our new method. After the correction, the direct P waves of teleseismic receiver functions show very good consistency. The effects of white and coloured noise in different levels, epicentral distance and backazimuth are also investigated, and the results show that these factors have small effects on the new method. We also examine the effect of sensor tilting on estimation of the OBS orientation, and find that a tilting correction should be made before the misorientation correction. We compare the OBS orientations determined with the new method and other methods and find that they are generally consistent with each other. We also discuss advantages and shortcomings of various methods, and think that our new method is more robust than the existing methods.

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Post-collisional mantle delamination in the Dinarides implied from staircases of Oligo-Miocene uplifted marine terraces

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81561-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Philipp Balling ◽

Christoph Grützner ◽

Bruno Tomljenović ◽

Wim Spakman ◽

Kamil Ustaszewski

Keyword(s):

Balkan Peninsula ◽

Receiver Functions ◽

P Wave ◽

S Wave ◽

Slab Geometry ◽

Surface Uplift ◽

River Incision ◽

Marine Terraces ◽

Convergence System ◽

Internal Dinarides

AbstractThe Dinarides fold-thrust belt on the Balkan Peninsula resulted from convergence between the Adriatic and Eurasian plates since Mid-Jurassic times. Under the Dinarides, S-wave receiver functions, P-wave tomographic models, and shear-wave splitting data show anomalously thin lithosphere overlying a short down-flexed slab geometry. This geometry suggests a delamination of Adriatic lithosphere. Here, we link the evolution of this continental convergence system to hitherto unreported sets of extensively uplifted Oligocene–Miocene (28–17 Ma) marine terraces preserved at elevations of up to 600 m along the Dinaric coastal range. River incision on either side of the Mediterranean-Black Sea drainage divide is comparable to the amounts of terrace uplift. The preservation of the uplifted terraces implies that the most External Dinarides did not experience substantial deformation other than surface uplift in the Neogene. These observations and the contemporaneous emplacement of igneous rocks (33–22 Ma) in the internal Dinarides suggest that the Oligo-Miocene orogen-wide uplift was driven by post-break-off delamination of the Adriatic lithospheric mantle, this was followed by isostatic readjustment of the remaining crust. Our study details how lithospheric delamination exerts an important control on crustal deformation and that its crustal signature and geomorphic imprint can be preserved for millions of years.

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Shallow velocity structure and poisson's ratio at the Tarzana, California, strong-motion accelerometer site

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America ◽

10.1785/bssa0860061704 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 86 (6) ◽

pp. 1704-1713 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. D. Catchings ◽

W. H. K. Lee

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Velocity Structure ◽

Strong Motion ◽

P Wave ◽

S Wave ◽

Near Surface ◽

Velocity Models ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Poisson's Ratios ◽

Poisson’S Ratios

Abstract The 17 January 1994, Northridge, California, earthquake produced strong ground shaking at the Cedar Hills Nursery (referred to here as the Tarzana site) within the city of Tarzana, California, approximately 6 km from the epicenter of the mainshock. Although the Tarzana site is on a hill and is a rock site, accelerations of approximately 1.78 g horizontally and 1.2 g vertically at the Tarzana site are among the highest ever instrumentally recorded for an earthquake. To investigate possible site effects at the Tarzana site, we used explosive-source seismic refraction data to determine the shallow (<70 m) P-and S-wave velocity structure. Our seismic velocity models for the Tarzana site indicate that the local velocity structure may have contributed significantly to the observed shaking. P-wave velocities range from 0.9 to 1.65 km/sec, and S-wave velocities range from 0.20 and 0.6 km/sec for the upper 70 m. We also found evidence for a local S-wave low-velocity zone (LVZ) beneath the top of the hill. The LVZ underlies a CDMG strong-motion recording site at depths between 25 and 60 m below ground surface (BGS). Our velocity model is consistent with the near-surface (<30 m) P- and S-wave velocities and Poisson's ratios measured in a nearby (<30 m) borehole. High Poisson's ratios (0.477 to 0.494) and S-wave attenuation within the LVZ suggest that the LVZ may be composed of highly saturated shales of the Modelo Formation. Because the lateral dimensions of the LVZ approximately correspond to the areas of strongest shaking, we suggest that the highly saturated zone may have contributed to localized strong shaking. Rock sites are generally considered to be ideal locations for site response in urban areas; however, localized, highly saturated rock sites may be a hazard in urban areas that requires further investigation.

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A method of geo-acoustic parameter inversion in shallow sea by the Bayesian theory and the acoustic pressure field

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201928306003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 283 ◽

pp. 06003

Author(s):

Guangxue Zheng ◽

Hanhao Zhu ◽

Jun Zhu

Keyword(s):

Sound Pressure ◽

Pressure Field ◽

Wave Attenuation ◽

Acoustic Parameter ◽

Bayesian Theory ◽

P Wave ◽

Shallow Sea ◽

S Wave ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Parameter Inversion

A method of geo-acoustic parameter inversion based on the Bayesian theory is proposed for the acquisition of acoustic parameters in shallow sea with the elastic seabed. Firstly, the theoretical prediction value of the sound pressure field is calculated by the fast field method (FFM). According to the Bayesian theory, we establish the misfit function between the measured sound pressure field and the theoretical pressure field. It is under the assumption of Gaussian data errors which are in line with the likelihood function. Finally, the posterior probability density (PPD) of parameters is given as the result of inversion. Our research is conducted in the light of Metropolis sample rules. Apart from numerical simulations, a scaled model experiment has been taken in the laboratory tank. The results of numerical simulations and tank experiments show that sound pressure field calculated by the result of inversion is consistent with the measured sound pressure field. Besides, s-wave velocities, p-wave velocities and seafloor density have fewer uncertainties and are more sensitive to complex sound pressure than s-wave attenuation and p-wave attenuation. The received signals calculated by inversion results are keeping with received signals in the experiment which verify the effectiveness of this method.

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EXTRACTING SUB-SURFACE INFORMATION FROM LONG OFFSET P-WAVE DATA—A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE TO MULTICOMPONENT OBC FOR EXPLORATION?

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj01038 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 627

Author(s):

R.G. Williams ◽

G. Roberts ◽

K. Hawkins

Keyword(s):

Seismic Energy ◽

Higher Order ◽

P Wave ◽

S Wave ◽

Additional Information ◽

Wave Data ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Avo Inversion ◽

Long Offset ◽

Multicomponent Data

Seismic energy that has been mode converted from pwave to s-wave in the sub-surface may be recorded by multi-component surveys to obtain information about the elastic properties of the earth. Since the energy converted to s-wave is missing from the p-wave an alternative to recording OBC multi-component data is to examine p-wave data for the missing energy. Since pwave velocities are generally faster than s-wave velocities, then for a given reflection point the converted s-wave signal reaches the surface at a shorter offset than the equivalent p-wave information. Thus, it is necessary to record longer offsets for p-wave data than for multicomponent data in order to measure the same information.A non-linear, wide-angle (including post critical) AVO inversion has been developed that allows relative changes in p-wave velocities, s-wave velocities and density to be extracted from long offset p-wave data. To extract amplitudes at long offsets for this inversion it is necessary to image the data correctly, including correcting for higher order moveout and possibly anisotropy if it is present.The higher order moveout may itself be inverted to yield additional information about the anisotropy of the sub-surface.

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EFFECT OF ALIGNMENT ON THE QUALITY OF BENDER ELEMENT PROCEDURE

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v76.5436 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 76 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Badee Alshameri ◽

Ismail Bakar ◽

Aziman Madun ◽

Edy Tonnizam Mohamad

Keyword(s):

Vertical Axis ◽

Poor Quality ◽

P Wave ◽

Secondary Wave ◽

Horizontal Distance ◽

Bender Element ◽

S Wave ◽

Testing Procedures ◽

Wave Velocities

One of the main geophysical tools (seismic tools) in the laboratory is the bender element. This tool can be used to measure some dynamic soil properties (e.g. shear and Young’s modulus). However, even if it relatively simple to use the bender element, inconsistent testing procedures can cause poor quality in the bender element data. One of the bender element procedure that always neglected is the alignment (different positions of bender element receiver to the transmitter in the vertical axis). The alignment effect was evaluated via changing the horizontal distance between transmitter and receiver starting from 0 to 110 mm for two sizes of the sample's thickness (i.e. 63.17 mm and 91.51 mm). Five methods were applied to calculate the travel times. Those methods were as the following: visually, first-peak, maximum-peak, CCexcel and CCGDS. In general, the experiments indicated uncertain results for both of the P-wave (primary wave) and S-wave (secondary wave) velocities at zone of Dr:D above 0.5:1 (where Dr is the horizontal distance of the receiver from the vertical axis and D is the thickness of the sample). On the other hand, both the visual and first-peak methods show the wave velocities results are higher than obtained from other methods. However, the ratio between the amplitude of transmitter signals to receiver amplitude signal was taken to calculate the damping-slope of the P-wave and S-wave. Thus the results from damping slope show steeply slope when the ratio of Dr:D is above 0.5:1 compare with gentle slope below ratio 0.5:1 at the sample with thickness equal to 91.51 mm, while there is no variation at a slope in sample with thickness equal to 63.17 mm.

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Petrophysical properties variation of bitumen-bearing carbonates at increasing temperatures from laboratory to model

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/geo2019-0790.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 85 (5) ◽

pp. MR297-MR308

Author(s):

Roberta Ruggieri ◽

Fabio Trippetta

Keyword(s):

Central Italy ◽

Carbonate Reservoir ◽

P Wave ◽

Petrophysical Properties ◽

S Wave ◽

Reservoir Properties ◽

Velocity Change ◽

Seismic Properties ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Velocity Changes

Variations in reservoir seismic properties can be correlated to changes in saturated-fluid properties. Thus, the determination of variation in petrophysical properties of carbonate-bearing rocks is of interest to the oil exploration industry because unconventional oils, such as bitumen (HHC), are emerging as an alternative hydrocarbon reserve. We have investigated the temperature effects on laboratory seismic wave velocities of HHC-bearing carbonate rocks belonging to the Bolognano Formation (Majella Mountain, central Italy), which can be defined as a natural laboratory to study carbonate reservoir properties. We conduct an initial characterization in terms of porosity and density for the carbonate-bearing samples and then density and viscosity measurements for the residual HHC, extracted by HCl dissolution of the hosting rock. Acoustic wave velocities are recorded from ambient temperature to 90°C. Our acoustic velocity data point out an inverse relationship with temperature, and compressional (P) and shear (S) wave velocities show a distinct trend with increasing temperature depending on the amount of HHC content. Indeed, samples with the highest HHC content show a larger gradient of velocity changes in the temperature range of approximately 50°C–60°C, suggesting that the bitumen can be in a fluid state. Conversely, below approximately 50°C, the velocity gradient is lower because, at this temperature, bitumen can change its phase in a solid state. We also propose a theoretical model to predict the P-wave velocity change at different initial porosities for HHC-saturated samples suggesting that the velocity change mainly is related to the absolute volume of HHC.

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Comparison of P‐ and S‐wave velocities and Q’S from VSP and sonic log data

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.1443541 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 59 (10) ◽

pp. 1512-1529 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Gopa S. De ◽

Donald F. Winterstein ◽

Mark A. Meadows

Keyword(s):

Velocity Dispersion ◽

P Wave ◽

S Wave ◽

S Waves ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Sonic Log ◽

Transit Times ◽

Wave Slope ◽

Northern Alberta ◽

Q Values

We compared P‐ and S‐wave velocities and quality factors (Q’S) from vertical seismic profiling (VSP) and sonic log measurements in five wells, three from the southwest San Joaquin Basin of California, one from near Laredo, Texas, and one from northern Alberta. Our purpose was to investigate the bias between sonic log and VSP velocities and to examine to what degree this bias might be a consequence of dispersion. VSPs and sonic logs were recorded in the same well in every case. Subsurface formations were predominantly clastic. The bias found was that VSP transit times were greater than sonic log times, consistent with normal dispersion. For the San Joaquin wells, differences in S‐wave transit times averaged 1–2 percent, while differences in P‐wave transit times averaged 6–7 percent. For the Alberta well, the situation was reversed, with differences in S‐wave transit times being about 6 percent, while those for P‐waves were 2.5 percent. For the Texas well, the differences averaged about 4 percent for both P‐ and S‐waves. Drift‐curve slopes for S‐waves tended to be low where the P‐wave slopes were high and vice versa. S‐wave drift‐curve slopes in the shallow California wells were 5–10 μs/ft (16–33 μs/m) and the P‐wave slopes were 15–30 μs/ft (49–98 μs/m). The S‐wave slope in sandstones in the northern Alberta well was up to 50 μs/ft (164 μs/m), while the P‐wave slope was about 5 μs/ft (16 μs/m). In the northern Alberta well the slopes for both P‐ and S‐waves flattened in the carbonate. In the Texas well, both P‐ and S‐wave drifts were comparable. We calculated (Q’s) from a velocity dispersion formula and from spectral ratios. When the two Q’s agreed, we concluded that velocity dispersion resulted solely from absorption. These Q estimation methods were reliable only for Q values smaller than 20. We found that, even with data of generally outstanding quality, Q values determined by standard methods can have large uncertainties, and negative Q’s may be common.

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Velocity anisotropy in shale determined from crosshole seismic and vertical seismic profile data

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.1442856 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 470-479 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

D. F. Winterstein ◽

B. N. P. Paulsson

Keyword(s):

Seismic Profile ◽

P Wave ◽

Isotropic Model ◽

S Wave ◽

Vertical Seismic Profile ◽

Near Surface ◽

S Waves ◽

Velocity Anisotropy ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Late Tertiary

Crosshole and vertical seismic profile (VST) data made possible accurate characterization of the elastic properties, including noticeable velocity anisotropy, of a near‐surface late Tertiary shale formation. Shear‐wave splitting was obvious in both crosshole and VSP data. In crosshole data, two orthologonally polarrized shear (S) waves arrived 19 ms in the uppermost 246 ft (75 m). Vertically traveling S waves of the VSP separated about 10 ms in the uppermost 300 ft (90 m) but remained at nearly constant separation below that level. A transversely isotropic model, which incorporates a rapid increase in S-wave velocities with depth but slow increase in P-wave velocities, closely fits the data over most of the measured interval. Elastic constants of the transvesely isotropic model show spherical P- and [Formula: see text]wave velocity surfaces but an ellipsoidal [Formula: see text]wave surface with a ratio of major to minor axes of 1.15. The magnitude of this S-wave anisotropy is consistent with and lends credence to S-wave anisotropy magnitudes deduced less directly from data of many sedimentary basins.

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Wavefield simulation and data-acquisition-scheme analysis for LWD acoustic tools in very slow formations

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.3552929 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. E59-E68 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Hua Wang ◽

Guo Tao

Keyword(s):

Wave Velocity ◽

Cutoff Frequency ◽

P Wave ◽

Flexural Wave ◽

S Wave ◽

Low Frequencies ◽

Wave Velocities ◽

Dipole System ◽

P Wave Velocity ◽

Wavefield Simulation

Propagating wavefields from monopole, dipole, and quadrupole acoustic logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools in very slow formations have been studied using the discrete wavenumber integration method. These studies examine the responses of monopole and dipole systems at different source frequencies in a very slow surrounding formation, and the responses of a quadrupole system operating at a low source frequency in a slow formation with different S-wave velocities. Analyses are conducted of coherence-velocity/slowness relationships (semblance spectra) in the time domain and of the dispersion characteristics of these waveform signals from acoustic LWD array receivers. These analyses demonstrate that, if the acoustic LWD tool is centralized properly and is operating at low frequencies (below 3 kHz), a monopole system can measure P-wave velocity by means of a “leaky” P-wave for very slow formations. Also, for very slow formations a dipole system can measure the P-wave velocity via a leaky P-wave and can measure the S-wave velocity from a formation flexural wave. With a quadrupole system, however, the lower frequency limit (cutoff frequency) of the drill-collar interference wave would decrease to 5 kHz and might no longer be neglected if the surrounding formation becomes a very slow formation, with S-wave velocities at approximately 500 m/s.

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