Lg Coda Q Variations across South America and their Relation to Crustal Evolution

Nine broadband seismograph stations in South America have provided 389 recordings of Lg coda with paths that cover most of the continent. Lg coda Q (Q0v) and frequency dependence <(eta)> values at 1 Hz, obtained from these records, were inverted using back-projection tomography to obtain regionalized maps of Q0 and <eta>. The entire western margin of the continent (the active Andean mountain belt) is typified by low Q0 (250–450), whereas broad regions of high Q0 (700–1100) span the central Brazilian shield and contiguous regions to the north and south. Intermediate Q0 (450–700) characterizes the northern Patagonia platform and most of the Atlantic shield. Reduced Q0 in the Atlantic shield may be related to tectonic or igneous activity that occurred during the breakup of Gondwanaland during the Jurassic period. This Q distribution is generally consistent with earlier studies where Q0 was found to be directly proportional to the time that has elapsed since the most recent episode of major tectonic or orogenic activity in any region. Reduced Q0 in the Patagonian platform may, however, be due to young sediments there. Q0 is slightly higher in two portions of the Andean belt (between latitudes 2.0°N and 10.0°S, and between latitudes 24.0°S and 34.0°S) than in other portions of the belt. These variations are consistent with results of earlier studies of body-wave attenuation and heat flow in the Andean mountain belt. Spatial variations of <eta> generally vary inversely with Q0v, being low (0.0–0.2) throughout a broad region centered in the central Brazil shield and extending to the northeastern coast. All surrounding regions except that to the northeast exhibit intermediate to high (0.4–0.8 and possibly higher) <eta> values. Possible biasing of Lg coda Q measurements by proximity to the transition between the South American and Pacific plates was examined using records from a station near that boundary and was found to be small.     

四川及邻区Lg尾波的Q值分布特征

首先利用叠加谱比法，对成都数字地震台网的12个台站及中国数字地震台网的5个台站所记录的504个宽带垂直分量进行分析，得到与各路径相对应的椭圆内的Lg尾波Q0和η的测量值，再应用反投影技术反演得出四川及邻区Lg尾波Q0和η的分布图像。结果表明：Q0值的分布与构造活动性紧密相关，在所研究的范围内，Q0值在225～400的范围内变化。低的Q0值(225～250)发生在安宁河断裂、龙门山断裂和鲜水河断裂的交汇区域，以及由安宁河断裂和则木河断裂等多条断裂所组成的南北向断裂带；在川东的四川盆地，Q0值有所升高，在250～300的范围内变化；在所研究区域东南部的扬子地台，Q0值呈现出350～400的较高值。叩值在0．4～0．8的范围内变化。绝大部分地区的叩和Q0反向相关。     

Lg Coda Q and its Relation to the Geology and Tectonics of the Middle East

—Regional seismograms were collected to image the lateral variations of Lg coda Q at 1 Hz (Q ₀?) and its frequency dependence <(eta)> in the Middle East using a back-projection method. The data include 124 vertical-component traces recorded at 10 stations during the period 1986–1996. The resulting images reveal lateral variations in both Q ₀ and <eta>. In the Turkish and Iranian Plateaus, a highly deformed and tectonically active region, Q ₀ ranges between about 150 and 300, with the lowest values occurring in western Anatolia where extremely high heat flow has been measured. The low Q ₀ values found in this region agree with those found in other tectonically active regions of the world. Throughout most of the Arabian Peninsula, a relatively stable region, Q ₀ varies between 350 and 450, being highest in the shield area and lowest in the eastern basins. All values are considerably lower than those found in most other stable regions. Low Q values throughout the Middle East may be caused by interstitial fluids that have migrated to the crust from the upper mantle, where they were probably generated by hydrothermal reactions at elevated temperatures known to occur there. Low Q ₀ values (about 250) are also found in the Oman folded zone, a region with thick sedimentary deposits. <eta> varies inversely with Q ₀ throughout most of the Middle East, with lower values (0.4–0.5) in the Arabian Peninsula and higher values (0.6–0.8) in Iran and Turkey. Q ₀ and <eta> are both low in the Oman folded zone and western Anatolia.     

Lg Coda Q and its Relation to the Structure and Evolution of Continents: A Global Perspective

—Tomographic maps of Lg coda Q (Q ^c _Lg) variation are now available for nearly the entire African, Eurasian, South American, and Australian continents, as well as for the United States. Q ^c _Lg at 1 Hz (Q ₀) varies from less than 200 to more than 1000 and Q ^c _Lg frequency dependence (<eta>) varies between 0.0 and nearly 1.0. Q ₀ appears to increase in proportion to the length of time that has elapsed since the most recent major episode of tectonic or orogenic activity in any region. A plot of Q ₀ versus time since that activity indicates that a single Q ₀-time relation approximates most mean Q ₀ values. Those that deviate most from the trend lay in Australia, the Arabian Peninsula, and the East African rift. The increase in Q ₀ with time may be due to a continual increase in crustal shear wave Q (Q ) caused by the loss of crustal fluids and reduction of crustal permeability following tectonic or orogenic activity. Extrapolated values of Q ^c _Lg at 5 Hz (using Q ₀ and <eta> values measured at 1 Hz and assuming that <eta> is constant in all regions between 1 and 5 Hz) show a similar percentage-wise increase with times that has elapsed since the most recent activity. Other factors that can reduce Q ₀ in continental regions include thick accumulations of sediment (especially sandstone and shale of Mesozoic age and younger), severe velocity gradients at the crust-mantle transition and, possibly, lateral variations in the depth, thickness, and severity of those gradients. Severe and large increases of Q in the mid-crust of some regions can cause relatively large values of <eta>, even if the frequency dependence of Q is small.     

Estimating seismic moments and Lg Q using Lg spectra

A multi-event and multi-station inverse method is presented in the paper to simultaneously estimate the seismicmoments (Mo) and source comer frequencies (fc) of several Jiashi (Xinjiang, China) earthquakes, as well as theapparent 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 Mo values obtained by Harvard University using the centroid moment tensor (CMT) inversion and the surface-wave magnitudes as well. Afterthe correction by a typical value of average radiation coefficient for regional SV waves, the Mo values from Lgspectral inversion are still close to the corresponding values obtained from CMT inversion. The obtained apparentQOLg values (Lg Q at 1 Hz) are consistent with the tectonic features of corresponding propagation paths. The QoLgvalues are 351±87, 349±86 and 300±27 for the paths from Jiashi to AAK, TLG and MAKZ, respectively. They aresmaller than QoLg values for the paths to KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK, which are 553±72, 569±58, 550±57 and603±65, respectively. These results agree with the condition that the paths to AAK, TLG and MAKZ mainlypropagate through the mountainous Tianshan area where relatively strong seismic activities and large variations oftopography are exhibited, while the paths to KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK mainly propagate through the stable areaof Kazak platform. The QoLg value for the path to WMQ is 462±56. This is also in agreement with the conditionthat the path to WMQ is basically along the border area between Tianshan Mountain and Tarim Basin, and alongthis path the variations of topography and crustal thickness are moderate in comparison with that along the path toMAKZ.     

Regional Variation of Lg Coda Q in the Continental United States and its Relation to Crustal Structure and Evolution

—Records from broadband digital stations have allowed us to map regional variations of Lg coda Q across almost the entire United States. Using a stacked ratio method we obtained estimates of Q ₀ (Lg coda Q at 1 Hz) and its frequency dependence, <eta>, for 218 event-station pairs. Those sets of estimates were inverted using a back-projection method to obtain tomographic images showing regional variations of Q ₀ and <eta>. Q ₀ is lowest (250–300) in the California coastal regions and the western part of the Basin and Range province, and highest (650–750) in the northern Appalachians and a portion of the Central Lowlands. Intermediate values occur in the Colorado Plateau (300–500), the Columbia Plateau (300–400), the Rocky Mountains (450–550), the Great Plains (500–650), the Gulf Coastal Plain and the southern portion of Atlantic Coastal Plain (400–500), and the portions of the Central Lowlands surrounding the high-Q region (500–550). The pattern of Q ₀ variations suggests that the United States can be divided into two large Q provinces. One province spans the area from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast, is tectonically stable, and exhibits relatively high Q ₀?. The other extends westward from the approximate western margin of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, is tectonically active, and exhibits low Q ₀?. The transition from high to low Lg coda Q in the western United States lies further to the west than does an upper mantle transition for Q and electrical resistivity found in earlier studies. The difference in Q ₀ between the western and eastern United States can be attributed to a greater amount of interstitial crustal fluids in the west. Regions of moderately reduced Q within the stable platform often occur where there are accumulations of Mesozoic and younger sediments. Reduced Q ₀ in the southeastern United States may not be due to anelasticity but may rather be explained by a gradational velocity increase at the crust-mantle boundary that causes shear energy to leak into the mantle.     

川滇地区Lg波Q值层析成像研究

本研究联合使用川滇地区36个台站(云南区域数字台网中22个台站,四川区域数字地震台网中14个台站)记录的644个帆3.5～6.0地震共7468条波形数据,开展川滇地区Lg波Q值层析成像研究.研究中以2.8～3.6km/s的传播速度窗选取Lg波波段,采用平移窗方法计算Lg波垂直向观测位移谱.我们首先利用Lg波观测谱反演得到了研究区的平均QLg(f),通过棋盘测试方法确定将研究区划分为0.5°×0.5°的网格,用平均值QLg-1作为每个网格的初始值,分别反演了0.5Hz,1Hz,2Hz,5Hz等多个频率的QLg(f)分布.     

华北地区Lg尾波衰减研究--Lg尾波Q的测量

利用1989～1998年间发生在中国华北地区ML≥3.0级的地震事件,华北遥测台网以及数字化台网记录到的信噪比较高的Lg尾波时间序列,经过滤波、消除背景噪声等预处理,采用单台记录叠加频谱比法,得到传播路径上Lg尾波Q0（Q=Q0fη, Q0是1Hz的Q值,η是Q值与频率相关系数）,进而获得该地区Q0和η的空间分布. 测量结果表明,华北地区地壳Lg尾波Q0值分布存在显著的横向不均匀性,这种不均匀性与该地区地壳的速度分布基本一致,表现为与该地区地表地质特征明显的一致性,即传播路径位于太行山隆起和燕山隆起区为高Q0值分布;传播路径位于冀中坳陷和黄骅坳陷等平原区表现为低Q0值;传播路径位于隆起区和坳陷区二者之间,其Q0值也介于二者之间,说明华北地区的地壳结构没有很大的阶跃式变化而使波导遭到破坏,Lg尾波Q0值基本上反映了地壳内介质滞弹性的固有衰减.     

Coda Q Estimates in the Koyna Region, India

—The coda Q, Q _c ?, have been estimated for the Koyna region of India. The coda waves of 76 seismograms from thirteen local earthquakes, recorded digitally in the region during July–August, 1996, have been analyzed for this purpose at nine central frequencies viz., 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 12.0, 16.0 and 24.0 Hz using a single backscattering model. All events with magnitude less than 3 fall in the epicentral distances less than 60 km and have focal depths which range from 0.86 to 9.43 km. For the 30 sec coda window length the estimated Q _c values vary from 81 to 261 at 1.5 Hz and 2088 to 3234 at 24 Hz, whereas the mean values of Q _c with the standard error vary from 148 ± 13.5 at 1.5 Hz to 2703 ± 38.8 at 24 Hz. Both the estimated Q _c values and their mean values exhibit the clear dependence on frequency in the region and a frequency dependence average attenuation relationship, Q _c = 96f ^1.09, has been obtained for the region, covering an approximate area of 11500 km² with the surfacial extent of about 120 km and depth of 60 km.¶Lapse time dependence of Q _c has also been studied for the region, with the coda waves analyzed at five lapse time windows from 20 to 60 sec duration with the difference of 10 sec. The frequency dependence average Q _c relationships obtained at these window lengths Q _c = 66f ^1.16 (20 sec), Q _c = 96f ^1.09 (30 sec), Q _c =131f ^1.04 (40 sec), Q _c = 148f ^1.04 (50 sec), Q _c = 182f ^1.02 (60 sec) show that the frequency dependence (exponentn) remains mostly stationary at all the lapse time window lengths, while the change in Q ₀ value is significant. Lapse time dependence of Q _c in the region is also interpreted as the function of depth.     

用尾波干涉法监测介质波速变化研究进展

Multiply scattered waves are sensitive to media changes owing to the effect of repeated sampling,superposition and amplification. Based on this characteristic,small-medium changes could be detected by using coda wave interferometry. In recent years,coda wave interferometry has been widely used in estimating velocity variation with high precision in areas such as seismology and non-destructive testing. This paper systematically presents the principle and research status of coda wave interferometry,and especial focus is placed on the research of media velocity variations by using repeating earthquakes,artificial sources,and ambient noise. Applications of coda wave interferometry can contribute to the more subtle understanding of dynamic evolution process in the medium.     

Distribution of Lg coda Q in Xinjiang and its adjacent regions

Introduction Lg wave is usually considered as one of the most prominent phases recorded by short-period or broadband seismometers in the continental area. Therefore, it is often used to determine the magnitude of regional earthquakes, the yield of nuclear explosions (Nuttli, 1986) and the horizon-tal variations of crustal attenuation. A theoretical ray approach shows that Lg is the superposition of higher-mode surface waves propagating in the continental crust (Knopoff et al, 1973; Panza and…     

Coda Q Estimates in the Andaman Islands Using Local Earthquakes

The attenuation property of Andaman Island has been investigated analyzing coda waves from 57 local earthquakes in the magnitude range of 2.0–4.9, using the single backscattering model. These earthquakes waveforms, recorded on five broadband seismographs sited over the island from north to south during Nov. 2003 to March 2004, have been used to calculate the frequency dependent Coda Q (Q _c ) applying the time domain coda-decay method. The Coda Q, computed at central frequencies from (0.5–12) Hz and five-lapse time windows from 40 to 80 s, progressively increases from 105 f ^0.88 in the north Andaman to 135 f ^0.79 in the south Andaman with an average of 119 f ^0.80. The average Q _c values vary from 75 ± 42 at 0.5 Hz to 697 ± 54 at 12 Hz central frequency for 40 s lapse time window, while for 80 s lapse time window its variation is from 117 ± 38 at 0.5 Hz to 1256 ± 115 at 12 Hz. The Q _c estimated at different lapse times manifests a significant variation from 122f ^0.75 to 174f ^0.73, corresponding to lapse time window lengths of 40 and 80 s, respectively. The variation of Q _c with frequency, lapse time and also with the location of seismograph reflects the marked structural and compositional inhomogeneity with depth along the Andaman Islands. These observations are well correlated with the seismicity pattern and distinct high angle subduction beneath the island.     

用尾波干涉法监测介质波速变化研究进展

多次散射形成的尾波由于在介质内部重复采样、迭加和放大的作用,对介质的微小变化十分敏感。尾波干涉法利用尾波的这一特点检测介质的微小变化。近年来利用尾波干涉法高精度检测介质波速变化已经广泛应用到地震学领域和材料无损检测中。本文从尾波干涉法的原理和方法及研究进展两方面进行介绍,着重介绍了重复地震、噪声和人工源在研究介质速度变化中取得的成果。利用尾波干涉法,可以更精细地了解介质动态演化过程。     

利用Aki模型对山西地区尾波Q值的研究

选取2001年1月至2011年12月山西地震台网记录的ML≥2．0地震的数字地震波资料,运用单次散射Aki模型,计算得到山西地区尾波Q值,拟合Q值对频率的依赖关系。其中,右玉、代县、夏县、东山4个地震台站属于低Q值、高n值,为特质的构造运动活跃地区的尾波性质。     

浙江及邻区尾波Q值研究

基于单次散射(Aki)模型,利用2000年至今浙江及安徽台网记录的37次ML3.0以上地震的数字地震波资料,计算了浙江及邻近省区平均尾波Q值,并拟合了Q值对频率的依赖关系数据。结果为:Q(f)=212±33.5f0.62±0.11,与国内其它区域相比,本区域为Q值高值、对频率低依赖性区域。认为本研究区内构造活动弱,地震活动水平低。本文就Q值对频率、尾波窗长等的依赖性特征及影响Q值计算的噪声水平、滤波器、数据采样等因素进行了深入分析。     

Comparison of Sesimic Body Wave and Coda Wave Measures of Q

—Measurements of seismic attenuation (Q ^?1) can vary considerably when made from different parts of seismograms or using different techniques, particularly at high frequencies. These discrepancies may be methodological, or may reflect earth processes. To investigate this problem, we compare body wave with coda Q ^?1 results utilizing three common techniques i) parametric fit to spectral decay, ii) coda normalization of S waves, and iii) coda amplitude decay with lapse time. Q ^?1 is measured from both body and coda waves beneath two mountain ranges and one platform, from recordings made at seismic arrays in the Caucasus and Kopet Dagh over paths ≤ 4° long. If Q is assumed frequency independent, spectral decay fits show Q _s and Q _coda near 700–800 for both mountain paths and near 2100–2200 for platform paths. Similar values are determined with the coda normalization technique. However, frequency-dependent parameterizations fit the data significantly better, with Q _s ?(1 Hz) and Q _coda?(1 Hz) near 200–300 for mountain paths and near 500–600 for platform paths. Lapse decay measurements are close to the frequency-dependent values, showing that both spectral and lapse decay methods can give similar results when Q has comparable parameterizations. Above 6 Hz, coda measurements suggest some enrichment relative to body waves, perhaps due to scattering, but intrinsic absorption appears to dominate at lower frequencies. All approaches show sharp path differences between the Eurasian platform and adjacent mountains, and all are capable of resolving spatial variations in Q.     

Distribution of L_g coda Q in the Chinese continent and its adjacent regions

In continent Lg is usually one of the predominant phases recorded by short-period or broad-band seismometers. A ray-theoretical approach shows that Lg wave is the superposition of higher-mode surface waves propagating in the continental crust[1—4]. The g…     

江苏地区尾波Q值特征研究

基于Aki单次散射模型,利用江苏数字地震台网记录的地震数字波形资料开展了江苏地区尾波Q值特征研究。结果表明,江苏地区总体上属于高Q值地区,但不同地区存在明显差异,总体呈现出南高北低的特点。本文对台站相对密,地质构造特点明显、尾波Q0计算结果较为集中的四个区域分区进行了研究,获得了江苏四个区域的Q值与频率的特征关系。苏南至长江口和茅山断裂带附近为江苏的高Q值地区,苏中至沿岸为江苏的低Q值地区,苏北连云港及附近处于Q值中等水平地区。对照江苏四个Q值不同分区的构造及地震活动分析,Q值、地壳运动和地震活动性之间存在一定的相关关系。