Specific features of surface wave radiation by a shallow source

The uncertainty of the seismic moment tensor inversion from records of long period surface waves radiated by a shallow source is considered. The special cases of sources of pure thrust, normal, and strike-slip faults are examined in detail. Results of numerical modeling of Love and Rayleigh wave radiation patterns and frequency dependences of the radiation intensity are presented for these types of sources. It is shown that, in the general case, the focal mechanism and seismic moment of a shallow double couple can be uniquely determined from long period surface waves only if one of the nodal planes is subhorizontal. The threshold (maximum) value of the dip angle of this plane is determined by the source depth, the spectral range of observed surface waves, and the model structure in the vicinity of the source.