Dispersion Measurements of <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> Waves and their Implications for Mantle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis></Subscript>

We analyze the anelasticity of the earth using group delays of P-body waves of deep (>200 km) events in the period range 4–32 s for epicentral distances of 5–85 degrees. We show that Time Frequency Analysis (TFA), which is usually applied to very dispersive surface waves, can be applied to the much less dispersive P-body waves to measure frequency-dependent group delays with respect to arrival times predicted from the CMT centroid location and PREM reference model. We find that the measured dispersion is due to: (1) anelasticity (described by the P-wave quality factor Q _p ), (2) ambient noise, which results in randomly distributed noise in the dispersion measurements, (3) interference with other phases (triplications, crustal reverberations, conversions at deep mantle boundaries), for which the total dispersion depends on the amplitude and time separation between the different phases, and (4) the source time function, which is dispersive when the wavelet is asymmetrical or contains subevents. These mechanisms yield dispersion ranging in the order of one to 10 seconds with anelasticity responsible for the more modest dispersion. We select 150 seismograms which all have small coda amplitudes extending to ten percent of the main arrival, minimizing the effect of interference. The main P waves have short durations, minimizing effects of the source. We construct a two-layer model of Q _p with an interface at 660 km depth and take Q _p constant with period. Our data set is too small to solve for a possible frequency dependence of Q _p . The upper mantle Q ₁ is 476 [299–1176] and the lower mantle Q ₂ is 794 [633–1064] (the bracketed numbers indicate the 68 percent confidence range of Q _p ^–1). These values are in-between the AK135 model (Kennett et al., 1995) and the PREM model (Dziewonski and Anderson, 1981) for the lower mantle and confirm results of Warren and Shearer (2000) that the upper mantle is less attenuating than PREM and AK135.     

Attenuative Dispersion of <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> Waves and Crustal <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis> in Turkey and Germany

We have measured group delays of the spectral components of high-frequency P-waves along two portions of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) in Turkey and in a region of southern Germany. Assuming that the observed dispersion is associated with attenuation in the crust and that it can be described by a continuous relaxation model, we obtained Q and the high-frequency relaxation times for those waves for each of the three regions. Individual P-wave Q values exhibit large scatter, but mean values in the NAFZ increase from about 25 to 60 over the distance range 5–90 km. Mean Q values are somewhat higher in the eastern portion of the NAFZ than in the western portion for measurements made at distances between 10 and 30 km. P-wave Q values in Germany range between about 50 and 300 over the hypocentral distance range 20–130 km. In that region we separated the effects of Q for basement rock (2–10 km depth) from that of the overlying sediment (0–2 km depth) using a least-squares method. Q varies between 100 and 500 in the upper 8–10 km of basement, with mean values for most of the distance range being about 250. Q in the overlying sediments ranges between 6 and 10. Because of large scatter in the Q determinations we investigated possible effects that variations of the source-time function of the earthquakes and truncation of the waveform may have on Q determinations. All of our studies indicate that measurement errors are relatively large and suggest that useful application of the method requires many observations, and that the method will be most useful in regions where the number of oscillations following the initial P pulse is minimized. Even though there is large scatter in our Q determinations, the mean values that we obtained in Turkey are consistent with those found in earlier studies. Our conclusions that Q is significantly higher in the basement rock of Germany than in the basement rock of Turkey and that Q is lower in western Turkey than in eastern Turkey are also consistent with results of Q studies using Lg coda.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis><Subscript>c</Subscript> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript> wave attenuation of South African earthquakes

Quality factor Q, which describes the attenuation of seismic waves with distance, was determined for South Africa using data recorded by the South African National Seismograph Network. Because of an objective paucity of seismicity in South Africa and modernisation of the seismograph network only in 2007, I carried out a coda wave decay analysis on only 13 tectonic earthquakes and 7 mine-related events for the magnitude range 3.6?≤?M _L ?≤?4.4. Up to five seismograph stations were utilised to determine Q _c for frequencies at 2, 4, 8 and 16 Hz resulting in 84 individual measurements. The constants Q ₀ and α were determined for the attenuation relation Q _c(f)?=?Q ₀ f ^α . The result was Q ₀?=?396?±?29 and α?=?0.72?±?0.04 for a lapse time of 1.9*(t _s???t ₀) (time from origin time t ₀ to the start of coda analysis window is 1.9 times the S-travel time, t _s) and a coda window length of 80 s. This lapse time and coda window length were found to fit the most individual frequencies for a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 3 and a minimum absolute correlation coefficient for the envelope of 0.5. For a positive correlation coefficient, the envelope amplitude increases with time and Q _c was not calculated. The derived Q _c was verified using the spectral ratio method on a smaller data set consisting of nine earthquakes and one mine-related event recorded by up to four seismograph stations. Since the spectral ratio method requires absolute amplitudes in its calculations, site response tests were performed to select four appropriate stations without soil amplification and/or signal distortion. The result obtained for Q _S was Q ₀?=?391?±?130 and α?=?0.60?±?0.16, which agrees well with the coda Q _c result.     

利用基于子波估计的频谱校正方法提高Q值估计精度(英文)

用Q值刻画的地震衰减在地震信号处理和解释中具有很广泛的应用。利用反射地震资料进行Q值估计需要解决地震子波和反射系数序列耦合的问题。从反射地震资料中去除反射系数序列的影响,这个过程称为频谱校正。本文提出了一种基于子波估计的求取Q值的方法,进而设计了一个反Q滤波器。该方法利用反射地震资料的高阶统计量进行子波估计,并利用所估计子波实现频谱校正。我们利用合成数据实验给出了质心频移法与频谱比法这两种常用的Q值估计方法在不同参数设置下的性能。人工合成数据和实际数据处理表明,利用本文提出的方法进行频谱校正后,可以得到可靠的Q值估计。经过反Q滤波,地震数据的高频部分得到了有效地恢复。     

Mechanism of formation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis>-disturbances in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> region of the equatorial ionosphere

Using model simulations, the morphological picture (revealed earlier) of the disturbances in the F ₂ region of the equatorial ionosphere under quiet geomagnetic conditions (Q-disturbances) is interpreted. It is shown that the observed variations in the velocity of the vertical E × B plasma drift, related to the zonal E _y component of the electric field, are responsible for the formation of Q-disturbances. The plasma recombination at altitudes of the lower part of the F ₂ region and the dependence of the rate of this process on heliogeophysical conditions compose the mechanism of Q-disturbance formation at night. The daytime positive Q-disturbances are caused exclusively by a decrease in the upward E × B drift, and this type of disturbances could be related to the known phenomenon of counter electrojet. Possible causes of formation of the daytime negative Q-disturbances are discussed.     

Estimating seismic moments and Lg <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis> using Lg spectra

A multi-event and multi-station inverse method is presented in the paper to simultaneously estimate the seismic moments (M ₀) and source corner frequencies (f _c) of several Jiashi (Xinjiang, China) earthquakes, as well as the apparent Lg Q models for the paths from Jiashi to eight seismic stations (WMQ, AAK, TLG, MAKZ, KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK) in Central Asia. The resultant seismic moments correlate well with the M ₀ values obtained by Harvard University using the centroid moment tensor (CMT) inversion and the surface-wave magnitudes as well. After the correction by a typical value of average radiation coefficient for regional SV waves, the M ₀ values from Lg spectral inversion are still close to the corresponding values obtained from CMT inversion. The obtained apparent Q _0Lg values (Lg Q at 1 Hz) are consistent with the tectonic features of corresponding propagation paths. The Q _0Lg values are 351±87, 349±86 and 300±27 for the paths from Jiashi to AAK, TLG and MAKZ, respectively. They are smaller than Q _0Lg values for the paths to KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK, which are 553±72, 569±58, 550±57 and 603±65, respectively. These results agree with the condition that the paths to AAK, TLG and MAKZ mainly propagate through the mountainous Tianshan area where relatively strong seismic activities and large variations of topography are exhibited, while the paths to KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK mainly propagate through the stable area of Kazak platform. The Q _0Lg value for the path to WMQ is 462±56. This is also in agreement with the condition that the path to WMQ is basically along the border area between Tianshan Mountain and Tarim Basin, and along this path the variations of topography and crustal thickness are moderate in comparison with that along the path to MAKZ.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">R/S</Emphasis> analysis of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dst</Emphasis> index

The paper addresses estimation of the Hurst exponent for time series of the hourly values of the Dst index for the period from 1957 to 2011. It is found that the Hurst exponent is 0.79–0.94 for yearly intervals and 0.8–1.0 for monthly intervals. Based on R/S graphs, the Dst cycles are identified; they range from 3–4 months to 2.2 years and from 8.5 to 22 years in length. It is shown that a Dst time series can be quite satisfactorily described by an α-stable Levy process.     

Distribution of<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Subscript>g</Subscript> coda<Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis> in the Chinese continent and its adjacent regions

785 traces of vertical components from shallow earthquakes recorded by 10 CDSN (Chinese Digital Seismographic Network) stations and 5 GSN (Global Seismographic Network) stations were collected to study the attenuation characteristics ofL _g coda in the Chinese continent and its adjacent regions. The records were processed first using the stack spectral ratio method to obtain the average values ofQ ₀ (Q at 1Hz) and η, the frequency dependence, ofL _g coda in the ellipses corresponding to the paths. The back-projection technique was then employed to obtain the tomographic maps ofQ ₀ and η values, and the distribution of their errors. Results indicate that in the studied areaQ ₀ varies between 200 and 500. The lowest value ofQ ₀ exists in the Yun-nan-Tibetan region, while the highest value ofQ ₀ occurs in the southern edge of Siberian platform. η varies between 0.3 and 0.8. For most part of the studied area η varies inversely withQ ₀.     

Behavior of <Emphasis Type="Italic">foF</Emphasis>2 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">hmF</Emphasis>2 after sunset

The time behavior of the foF2 and hmF2 values at the time moment T(ss + 2 h) 2 h after sunset is considered. It is assumed that at this moment, the horizontal winds in the thermosphere in the strongest way influence hmF2 and, therefore, foF2. It is found that a fairly well pronounced and statistically significant change (trend) is observed for the foF2(ss + 2)/foF2(14) ratio, the sign of the change being different for different stations and even different seasons at the same station. A similar picture is obtained for the value of hmF2(ss + 2). It is shown that a positive correlation between the trends of these two values is observed. This confirms the initial concept of the paper that the foF2 and hmF2 trends are caused by long-term trends in the thermospheric dynamics.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>9 Tohoku Earthquake Hydro- and Seismic Response in the Caucasus and North Turkey

Presently, there are a lot of observations on the significant impact of strong remote earthquakes on underground water and local seismicity. Teleseismic wave trains of strong earthquakes give rise to several hydraulic effects in boreholes, namely permanent water level changes and water level oscillations, which closely mimic the seismograms (hydro-seismograms). Clear identical anomalies in the deep borehole water levels have been observed on a large part of the territory of Georgia during passing of the S and Love–Rayleigh teleseismic waves (including also multiple surface Rayleigh waves) of the 2011 Tohoku M9 earthquake. The analysis carried out in order to find dynamically triggered events (non-volcanic tremors) of the Tohoku earthquake by the accepted methodology has not revealed a clear tremor signature in the test area: the Caucasus and North Turkey. The possible mechanisms of some seismic signals of unknown origin observed during passage of teleseismic waves of Tohoku earthquake are discussed.     

Long-term changes in the relation between <Emphasis Type="Italic">foF</Emphasis>2 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">hmF</Emphasis>2

The change in the dependence of the F2-layer critical frequency on its height hmF2 is considered based on two sources of initial data used earlier by the authors. It is found that the slope k of the foF2 dependence on hmF2 systematically decreases from the earlier (“etalon”) period, 1958–1980, to the later periods of 1988–2010, 1998–2010, and 1998–2014. Since the foF2 value depends on the atomic oxygen concentration in the F region much more strongly than hmF2, the found decrease in k confirms the concept of a decrease in the atomic oxygen concentration in the thermosphere with time previously formulated by the authors.     

Temporal (Un)correlations Between Coda <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis> and Seismicity: Multiscale Trend Analysis

This paper introduces a statistical technique, based on the recently developed Multiscale Trend Analysis (MTA), for quantifying correlations between non-stationary processes observed at irregular non-coincident time grids. We apply this technique to studying the temporal correlation between the dynamics of the ductile and brittle layers in the lithosphere. Our results confirm the previously reported strong positive correlation between the coda Q^–1 and seismicity and its drop before major earthquakes observed in California. The proposed technique has significant advantages over the conventional correlation analysis: (1) MTA allows one to work directly with non-coincident time series without preliminary resampling the data; (2) the correlation is defined via the stable objects—trends—rather than noisy individual observations, hence it is highly robust; (3) the correlations are quantified at different time scales. The suggested technique seems promising for the wide range of applied problems dealing with coupled time series.     

Mechanisms of stratification of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>2 layer and formation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>3 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis> layers in the equatorial ionosphere

The paper is dedicated to the studies of formation mechanisms of additional layers in the equatorial ionosphere carried out using numerical simulations with use of the Global Self-Consistent Model of the Thermosphere, Ionosphere, and Protonosphere (GSM TIP) modified in the part of the solution of the electric field equation in the Earth’s ionosphere. Calculations were preformed for quiet geomagnetic conditions using the MSIS-90 model for the calculation of thermospheric parameters. The obtained spatio-temporal pattern of thermospheric circulation and the variations in the dynamo electric field obtained on its basis make it possible to reproduce the stratification effect of the F2 layer and the appearance of the F3 layer in the equatorial ionosphere due to the action of the nonuniform in height zonal electric field at the geomagnetic equator. On the basis of the earlier presented results of calculations using the modified GSM TIP model, the appearance of a maximum in the vertical profile of the electron density at a height of ∼1000 km formed by H+ ions, which we called the G layer, has been predicted. Numerical simulations showed that this layer is formed by the meridional component of the thermospheric wind and is related to the formation of the nighttime midlatitude maximum at heights of the ionospheric F region.     

Distribution of Lg coda <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis> in Xinjiang and its adjacent regions

In this study, we collected 1 156 broadband vertical components records at 22 digital seismic stations in Xinjiang region, Ürümqi station, and 7 stations in the adjacent regions during the period of 1999–2003. The records were firstly processed by the stacked spectral ratio method to obtain Q ₀ (Q at 1 Hz) and the frequency correlation factor η corresponding to each path. Based on the results, the distribution images of Q ₀ and η in 1°×1° grids for Xinjiang region were gained by the back-projection technique. The results indicate that Q ₀ is high (300–450) in the Tarim platform and marginal Siberian platform, while Q ₀ is low (150–250) in the southern regions as west Kunlun fold system and Songpan-Ganzi fold system. In the northern regions as Junggar fold system and Tianshan fold system, Q ₀ is also low (250–300) and η varies between 0.5 and 0.9.     

Linear transformations of anomalous potential fields using <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis> approximations

Methods for linear transformations of anomalous physical fields based on R and S approximations of the elements of the initial field are described. The results of the numerical experiment and analytical extension of the gravity field measured in a detailed gravity survey in two regions of Russia are presented.     

Multi-scale Tomography for Crustal <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis> Velocities in Southern California

Seismic tomography is a viable tool in building depth-velocity models in the presence of strong lateral velocity variations. In this study 3-D P- and S-velocity models for the crust of southern California are constrained using more than 1,000,000 P-wave first arrivals and 130,000 S-wave arrivals from local earthquakes. To cope with the uneven distribution of raypaths, a multi-scale tomography is applied with overlapping model cells of different sizes. Within the 300 × 480 × 39 km³ model volume, the smallest cell size is 10 × 10 × 3 km³. During the iterations of velocity updating, earthquake hypocenters are determined using both P and S arrivals, and full 3-D ray tracing is implemented. Except near the edges and in the lower crust, the resultant models are robust according to various tests on the effects of reference models, resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. The tomographic velocities at shallow depths correlate very well with the regional geology of southern California. In the upper crust the P-wave and S-wave models exhibit slow velocities in major sedimentary basins and fast velocities in areas of crystalline rocks. Mid-crustal low velocity zones are present under the Coso Range, San Gabriel Mountains, and a large portion of the Mojave Desert. P- and S-velocity patterns maintain their similarity in the lower crust though the models are less reliable there.     

Combined Method of <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>-, <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>-Approximations of Increased Dimensionality in Solving the Problems of Geophysics and Geomorphology

The interrelation between different variants of the method of linear integral representations in the spaces of an arbitrary dimension is considered. The combined approximations of the topography and geopotential fields allows the selection of the optimal parameters of the method in solving a wide range of inverse problems in geophysics and geomorphology, as well as a most thorough use of the a priori information about the elevations and elements of anomalous fields. A method for numerically solving an inverse problem on finding the equivalent, in terms of the external field, mass distributions in the ordinary three-dimensional (3D) space and in the four-dimensional (4D) space is described.     

Combined method of <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>-, <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>-approximations in solving the problems of geophysics and geomorphology

The interrelation between different modifications of the method of linear integral representation is studied. Combined approximations of the topography and geopotential fields enable more refined tuning of the method in solving inverse problems of geophysics and geomorphology and provide a more complete allowance for the a priori information about the surface elevation data and elements of anomalous fields. A technique for finding the numerical solution for the inverse problem for determining the mass distributions equivalent in terms of the external field is presented. The results of the mathematical experiment are discussed.     

Numerical simulation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>2-layer stratification and appearance of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis>3 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis> layers in the equatorial ionosphere: The morphology of the phenomena

This work is devoted to a numerical simulation of the equatorial ionosphere, performed using the GSM TIP model completed with a new block for calculating the electric field. It has been indicated that the usage of the wind system calculated according to the MSIS-90 model makes it possible to reproduce the electromagnetic drift velocities at the equator, the effect of the F2-layer stratification, and the appearance of the F3 layer in the equatorial ionosphere. The calculations performed using the modified GSM TIP model made it possible to detect a maximum in the electron density vertical profile at an altitude of ∼1000 km, formed by H⁺ ions, which we called the G layer. If this layer actually exists, it can be observed during sounding the low-latitude ionosphere from satellites during dark time of day.     

The 20-second regional magnitude <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis></Subscript>(20R) for the Russian Far East

A new modified magnitude scale M _S (20R) is elaborated. It permits us to extend the teleseismic magnitude scale M _S (20) to the regional epicenter distances. The data set used in this study contains digital records at 12 seismic stations of 392 earthquakes that occured in the northwest Pacific Ocean in the period of 1993–2008. The new scale is based on amplitudes of surface waves of a narrow range of the periods (16–25 s) close to the period of 20 s, for distances of 80–3000 km. The digital Butterworth filter is used for processing. On the basis of the found regional features concerning distance dependence for seismic wave attenuation, all the stations of the region have been subdivided into two groups, namely, “continental” and “island-arc.” For each group of stations, its own calibration function is proposed. Individual station corrections are used to compensate for the local features.