Downhole seismic testing and seismic cone penetration testing (SCPT) have shown little change since the 1990’s, with essentially the same sensors, sources, test procedures and analytical methods being used. In these tests, the time differences of first-arrivals or other reference points early in the time-domain signals have been used to calculate shear and compression wave velocities in soil and rock layers. This time-domain method requires an operator to pick the first arrival or other reference point of each seismic wave in the time record. Picking these reference points correctly is critical in calculating wave velocities. However, picking these points in time records is time consuming and is not always easy because of low signal-to-noise ratios, especially in the case of shear waves which arrive later in the time record. To avoid picking reference points, a cross-correlation method is sometimes applied to determine travel times of the seismic waves, especially in traditional downhole testing. One benefit of the cross-correlation method is that it can be automated. The cross-correlation method is not, however, appropriate for evaluation other body wave characteristics such as wave dispersion and material damping. An alternate approach is to use frequency-domain analysis methods which are well suited for evaluating time changes between all types of waveforms measured at spatially different points. In addition, frequency-domain methods can be automated and attenuation measurements can also be performed. Examples of such testing procedures with Rayleigh-type surface waves in geotechnical earthquake engineering are the Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (SASW) and Multi-Channel-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (MASW) methods. In this research, an automated procedure for calculating body wave velocities that is based on frequency-domain analysis is presented. The basis for and an automated procedure to calculated body wave dispersion is also presented. Example results showing shear wave velocity and material damping measurements in the SCPT are presented. The objective of this study is to improve downhole seismic tests with boreholes, cone penetrometers or flat-plate dilatometers by developing a frequency-domain analysis method which overcomes many of the disadvantages of time-domain analyses. The frequency-domain method is called the Spectral-Analysis-of-Body-Waves (SABW) method. The SABW method does not require an operator to pick the first-arrival or other reference times. As a result, the shear wave velocities and wave dispersion can be calculated in real time using the interpretation method with an automatic calculation procedure, thus reducing human subjectivity. Also, the SABW method can be used to determine additional information from the dispersion curves such as the material damping ratio and an estimate of soil type based on the dispersion relationship. In this research, field SCPT measurements are presented as an example to illustrate the potential of the SABW method. Measurements with shear waves are highlighted because these measurements are most often required in geotechnical earthquake engineering studies. / text

This research is focused on the application of both new and established seismic interferometry techniques to a single area: the Altiplano in the Andes region. This area has already been widely studied in terms of its geological evolution. Nevertheless, a single accepted theory has not yet been developed to explain why the topography of the Andes incorporates such a large area of low relief at this altitude. The Altiplano is therefore an interesting zone to study. This research introduces and analyses new concepts and methodologies, such as retrieving surface and body waves between earthquakes by using interferometry. Nevertheless, several factors, such as the quality of recordings, the separation between sources, and the velocity gradient of the medium, had to be taken into account for body and surface wave retrieval. This research also analysed the retrieval of body waves by means of seismic interferometry applied to coda wave arrivals. Results show that due to the attenuation of S waves produced by the zone of partial molten material, when using S coda waves, seismic interferometry does not achieve the objective of wave retrieval. On the other hand, P coda waves gave good results. Also, the combined methodology of interferometry by cross-correlation and convolution was shown to account for the behaviour of the retrieved waves and provided an indication of how the distribution of sources affects the Green’s functions estimates for body waves in this area. Another point covered by this research was the analysis of passive recordings in order to retrieve surface and body waves. Results indicate that surface and body waves could be retrieved. However, in order to retrieve body waves, special circumstances are required, such as lateral continuity of the Moho, a relative strong Moho impedance contrast, and simplicity of the geologic structure because these factors will contribute to a strong signal like that obtained in critical reflections making interferometry results more successful.

The uppermost crustal velocity structure of the Goldstream Valley, central Alaska is investigated using a series of five explosions that were detonated in schist bedrock and recorded at >120 local stations to develop 1-D and 3-D models of the upper crust. Simple refraction analyses reveal that both P- and S-wave arrival times are azimuth dependent, with the fastest velocities in the southeast and northeast directions. The Swave velocity structure of the upper crust is also determined through multiple filter analysis and a damped, least squares inversion of 0.2-2 sec period Rg waves. The shear wave velocity model from the surface-wave analysis is combined with the refraction analysis results to develop 1-D P- and S-wave models to a depth of 2 km. In order to better constrain P- and S-wave velocity variations both laterally and with depth throughout the Goldstream Valley, 3-D velocity models are produced using a numerical simulation model. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Geology and Geophysics.

In this thesis, we investigate and develop the optimal data processing procedures necessary to recover Green’s functions for body waves propagating among a network of borehole seismometers near Parkfield, CA. Applying these procedures, we detect P-waves propagating among these stations, which allows us to produce a first-order crustal velocity model for the San Andreas Fault in the Parkfield region. We also discuss under what conditions body wave phenomena such as reflections and mode conversions (P to S) may be observed, as further observing these would provide a dramatic improvement in our ability to characterize seismic velocity structures. Finally, we discuss the potential of seismic interferometry to produce time-lapse body wave characterizations of the San Andreas Fault, in which properties of the fault can be seen to change in time.

This thesis focuses on two different topics in seismology: imaging the global structures of the mantle transition zone discontinuities and studying the site response effects in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain. Global structures of the mantle transition zone discontinuities provide important constraints on thermal structures and dynamic processes in the mid mantle. In this thesis, global topographic structures of the 410- and 660-km discontinuities are obtained from finite-frequency tomography of SS precursors. The finite-frequency sensitivities of SS waves and precursors are calculated based on a single-scattering (Born) approximation and can be used for data selection. The new global models show a number of smaller-scale features that were absent in back-projection models. Good correlation between the mantle transition zone thickness and wave speed variations suggests dominantly thermal origins for the lateral variations in the transition zone. The high-resolution global models of the 410- and 660-km discontinuities in this thesis show strong positive correlation beneath western North America and eastern Asia subduction zones with both discontinuities occurring at greater depths. Wavespeed and anisotropy models support vertical variations in thermal structure in the mid mantle, suggesting return flows from the lower mantle occur predominantly in the vicinity of stagnant slabs and the region overlying the stagnant slabs. In oceanic regions, the two discontinuities show a weak anti-correlation, indicating the existence of a secondary global far-field return flow. The Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain is covered by extensive Cretaceous and Cenozoic marine sediments. In this thesis, the site response effects of sediments in the Coastal Plain region relative to the reference condition outside that region are investigated using Lg and coda spectral ratios. The high-frequency attenuation factors (kappa) in the Coastal Plain are strongly correlated with the sediment thickness. At frequencies between 0.1-2.86 Hz, the Lg spectral ratio amplitudes are modeled as functions of frequency and thickness of the sediments in the Coastal Plain. Analysis of the residuals from the stochastic ground motion prediction method suggests that incorporating the site response effects as functions of sediment thickness may improve ground motion prediction models for the Coastal Plain region. / Doctor of Philosophy / The mantle transition zone is the region in the Earth’s interior between depths of ∼410 km and ∼660 km. The structure of the mantle transition zone plays an important role in understanding temperature variations and mass exchanges in the interior of the Earth. This dissertation aims at resolving depth variations of the top and bottom boundaries of the mantle transition zone at a global scale using underside reflected seismic waves. The advanced method used here resolved stronger small-scale depth variations of the boundaries than a conventional method using the same dataset. The two mantle transition zone boundaries both occur at depths greater than the global average beneath eastern Asia and western North America where cold oceanic lithosphere subducted under the continents. This positively correlated behaviors of the two boundaries agree with a scenario where cold subducted slabs have been horizontally deflected and stagnant above the bottom boundary of the mantle transition zone while hot materials beneath the mantle transition zone flow upwards due to the stagnant slabs penetrating the bottom boundary of the mantle transition zone. This dissertation also provides an examination of the differences between response of earthquake ground shaking in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain and that outside the Coastal Plain using seismic-wave spectral ratios. Ground shaking in the Coastal Plain is found to be amplified at low frequencies and de-amplified at high frequencies relative to that outside the Coastal Plain due to the extensive marine sediments in the Coastal Plain region. The amplification and attenuation factors can be estimated from spectral ratios and are found to be strongly correlated with the sediment thickness in the Coastal Plain. The spectral ratio functions derived in this dissertation may be adopted by studies on analyzing the seismic hazard in the Central and Eastern United States.

Cette thèse s’intéresse à divers aspects de l’atténuation sismique dans le manteau terrestre et aux implications de celle-ci quant à la structure de ce dernier. L’enjeu est de mieux comprendre les mécanismes d’atténuation ainsi que les mesures que l’on peut effectuer afin d’améliorer les modèles radiaux d’atténuation dont on dispose et in fine l’interprétation des modèles de tomographie. Je me suis concentrée sur deux exemples de mécanismes d’atténuation, appartenant à deux grands types d’atténuation : l’atténuation intrinsèque, liée à l’absorption par le milieu d’une partie de l’énergie sismique dissipée irréversiblement sous forme de chaleur, et l’atténuation extrinsèque, liée à la dispersion de cette énergie par le milieu. Dans le premier cas, j'ai regardé l’effet des transitions de phase sur l’atténuation des ondes sismiques. En appliquant un modèle thermomécanique développé par Ricard et al., 2009, pour prédire l’atténuation des ondes sismiques liée à la transition de phase uniquement et en comparant les valeurs obtenues aux mesures dont on dispose, j'ai pu contraindre la cinétique d’une transition de phase mantellique. Dans le second cas, j'ai testé l’effet de l’anisotropie comme mécanisme d'atténuation apparente, le but étant de trouver une distribution statistique d’orientation d’anisotropie pouvant reproduire la quasi-constance du facteur de qualité Q avec la fréquence, observée en sismologie et lors d’expériences de laboratoire (Knopoff, 1964), et aujourd’hui expliquée par un modèle ad-hoc seulement (Liu, 1976).Enfin, je me intéressée à mesurer cette atténuation sismique sur des enregistrements réels. Après avoir testé la méthode dite de la fréquence instantanée (Ford et al., 2012), je me suis concentrée sur deux régions, l’Amérique centrale et l’Alaska pour l'appliquer. Ces mesures sont ensuite interprétées en termes de modèle radial d’atténuation révélant un manteau inférieur hétérogène atténuant. Je montre aussi qu’une origine compositionnelle est la plus probable pour expliquer ces anomalies d’atténuation. / This thesis is devoted to various aspects of seismic attenuation in the Earth's mantle and the consequences on the mantle structure. The challenge is to better understand the attenuation mechanisms, as well as the measurements that can be done, in order to improve the published radial profiles of attenuation and in fine the interpretation of tomographic models.I focus on two examples of attenuation mechanisms, belonging to two kinds of attenuation: the intrinsic attenuation related to the absorption by the medium of a part of the seismic energy then irreversibly dissipated as heat, and the extrinsic attenuation related to the dispersion of the seismic energy by the medium. In the first case, I investigate the effect of phase transitions upon seismic attenuation. Applying the thermo-mechanical model developped by Ricard et al., 2012, to calculate the attenuation of seismic waves due to the phase transition only and comparing the obtained values to published measurements, I succeed in constraining the kinetics of a mantle phase transition. In the second case, I test the seismic anisotropy as a mechanism of extrinsic attenuation, the aim being to find a statistical distribution of anisotropy orientation and layer thicknesses that can reproduce the observed quasi-frequency independence of Q in seismology and laboratory experiments (Knopoff, 1964), and which is, today, only explained by an ad-hoc model (Liu, 1976).Finally, I was interested in measuring the seismic attenuation on real seismograms. After having tested the method of the instantaneous frequency (Ford et al., 2012), I applied it to seismic records sampling the mantle below Central America and Alaska. These measurements are then inverted for a radial profile of shear attenuation which reveals the existence of an attenuating zone in the lower mantle. I also show that these attenuation anomalies are likely to be of chemical origin.

Title: Anisotropy of the upper mantle under the Northern Apennines based on data from the international experiment RETREAT (Italy) Author: Helena Munzarová Department: Department of Geophysics Supervisor of the master thesis: RNDr. František Gallovič, Ph.D. Department of Geophysics Consultant of the master thesis: RNDr. Jaroslava Plomerová, DrSc. Institute of Geophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences Abstract: In this master thesis, we process data recorded during the passive seismic experiment RETREAT (2003-2006) in the Northern Apennines with the aim to explore the upper mantle structure in the region. Active orogeny in the Northern Apennines relates to the collision of the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic (subducting westward) plates and is accompanied by an eastward retreat of the trench. Directional dependences of P-wave travel-time deviations together with variations of the fast split polarization azimuths of teleseismic SKS waves are derived from data recorded during experiment RETREAT. Both the fossil anisotropic structure in the mantle lithosphere and the anisotropy due to the present-day flow in the sub-lithospheric mantle are sources of the observed velocity-anisotropy patterns. Thick continental Adriatic plate can be divided into at least two sub-regions with their own fossil fabrics. We have also tried to...

Title: Anisotropic tomography of the European upper mantle Author: Helena Žlebčíková Department: Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University Training institution: Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IG CAS) Supervisor: RNDr. Jaroslava Plomerová, DrSc., IG CAS Consultants: RNDr. Vladislav Babuška, DrSc., IG CAS RNDr. Luděk Vecsey, Ph.D., IG CAS Abstract: Large-scale seismic anisotropy of the continental mantle lithosphere derived from joint inversion/interpretation of directional variations of P-wave travel-time residuals and SKS-wave splitting calls for orientation of the symmetry axes to be treated generally in 3D. Nevertheless, most of the tomography studies neglect the anisotropy of the body waves completely or they are limited to either azimuthal or radial anisotropy. Therefore, we have developed a code called AniTomo for coupled anisotropic-isotropic travel-time tomography of the upper mantle. The novel code allows inversion of relative travel-time residuals of teleseismic P waves simultaneously for 3D distribution of P-wave isotropic- velocity perturbations and anisotropy of the upper mantle. We assume weak anisotropy of hexagonal symmetry with either the 'high-velocity' a axis or the 'low-velocity' b axis. The symmetry axis is allowed to be...