Attenuation of Coda Waves at the Changbaishan Tianchi Volcanic Area in Northeast China

21 earthquakes recorded by a temporary seismic network in the Changbaishan Tianchi volcanic area in Northeast China operated during the summer of 2002 and 2003 were analyzed to estimate the S coda attenuation. The attenuation quality factor Q_c was estimated using the single scattering attenuation model of Sato (1977) in the frequency band from 4 to 24 Hz. All the events studied in this paper occurred at depths from 2 to 6 km with ML of 1.4–2.8. The epicentral distances are less than 25 km. For all events which occurred near the Tianchi Lake (caldera), the Q_c patterns obtained at the stations near the lake are similar, and the Q_c values are relatively small. At the stations located about 15 km east of the Tianchi Lake, however, the average Q_c is significantly higher. For an event which occurred 25km from the lake to the west, Q_c patterns derived at the stations near the lake are quite similar to the above mentioned Q_c for stations located in the east. Further study shows that Q_c value in the north and central areas of the volcano is relatively lower than that in the surrounding area. Compared to other volcanic areas in the world, the average Q_c of the Changbaishan Tianchi volcanic area is obviously lower. The deep seismic sounding and teleseismic receiver function studies indicated more than one lower velocity layer in the crust. The MT studies suggested the presence of high conductive bodies beneath the area. We interpret the strong attenuation of coda waves near the Changbaishan Tianchi volcano as being possibly related to high temperature medium caused by shallow magma chambers.     

Coda Q in the Kachchh Basin, Western India Using Aftershocks of the Bhuj Earthquake of January 26, 2001

Q_C-estimates of Kachchh Basin in western India have been obtained in a high frequency range from 1.5 to 24.0 Hz using the aftershock data of Bhuj earthquake of January 26, 2001 recorded within an epicentral distance of 80 km. The decay of coda waves of 30 sec window from 186 seismograms has been analysed in four lapse time windows, adopting the single backscattering model. The study shows that Q_c is a function of frequency and increases as frequency increases. The frequency dependent Q_c relations obtained for four lapse-time windows are: Q_c=82 f^1.17 (20–50 sec), Q_c=106 f^1.11 (30–60 sec), Q_c=126f^1.03 (40–70 sec) and Q_c=122f^1.02 (50–80 sec). These empirical relations represent the average attenuation properties of a zone covering the surface area of about 11,000, 20,000, 28,000 and 38,000 square km and a depth extent of about 60, 80, 95, 110 km, respectively. With increasing window length, the degree of frequency dependence, n, decreases marginally from 1.17 to 1.02, whereas Q₀ increases significantly from 82 to 122. At lower frequencies up to 6 Hz, Q_c⁻¹ of Kachchh Basin is in agreement with other regions of the world, whereas at higher frequencies from 12 to 24 Hz it is found to be low.     

Lapse time and frequency-dependent attenuation characteristics of coda waves in the Northwestern Himalayas

We analyzed the local earthquakes waveform recorded on a broadband seismic network in the northwestern Himalayan Region to compute lapse time and frequency dependence of coda Q (Q _c). The observed Q _c values increase with increasing lapse time at all frequency bands. The increase in Q _c values with lapse time is attributed to an increase in Q _c with depth. This implies that attenuation decreases with increasing depth. The approximate radius of medium contributing to coda generation varies from 55 to 130 km. By comparing the Q _c values with those from other regions of the world, we find that they are similar to those obtained from tectonically active regions. The estimated Q _c values show a frequency-dependent relationship, Q _c = Q ₀ f ⁿ , where Q ₀ is Q _c at 1 Hz and n represents degree of frequency dependence. They represent the level of heterogeneity and tectonic activity in an area. Our results show that northwest Himalayas are highly heterogeneous and tectonically very active. Q ₀ increases from 113 ± 7 to 243 ± 10 and n decreases from 1.01 ± 0.05 to 0.85 ± 0.03 when lapse time increases from 30 to 70 s. As larger time window sees the effect of deeper part of the Earth, it is concluded that Q ₀ increases and n decreases with increasing depth; i.e., heterogeneity decreases with depth in the study area.     

Analysis of Short-Period Rayleigh Waves Recorded in the Bohemian Massif Area During Celebration 2000 Experiment

The aim of this paper is to show the application of short-period surface waves recorded during deep seismic sounding experiment for constraining shallow velocity structure of the crust. Phase velocity of fundamental mode Rayleigh waves, observed along the CELEBRATION 2000 experiment profile CEL09, were obtained by a p-ω method and has been subsequently inverted for one-dimensional shear velocity models for the top 2 km. Multiple filter technique applied to one shot gather was used to carry out a joint inversion of phase and group velocity data and to provide γ_R data to be used for Q_β inversion. Validity of obtained V_S and Q_β models was confirmed by the reflectivity method. Noticeably, no clear dispersive wawes were observed in the Tepla-Barrandian Unit. Quasi-2D model based on the individual 1D V_S models is well correlated with the surface geology. Lower V_S are observed in the Saxothuringian Zone in comparison to the Moldanubian Zone. In the vicinity of the Central Bohemian and Moldanubian Plutons, the near-surface V_S values are relatively low, but below 1 km depth, they are higher than in surrounding areas. We interpret it as the result of the weathering and cracks within the granitoid rocks.     

Regional characteristics of coda attenuation after the lancang-Gengma earthquake

In the light of the single scattering model of coda originating from local earthquakes, and based on the aftershock coda registered respectively at the 4 short period stations installed near the foci shortly after theM7.6 Lancang andM7.2 Gengma earthquakes, this paper has tentatively calculated the rate of amplitude attenuation and theQ _c-value of the coda in the Lancang and Gengma areas using a newly-founded synthetic determination method. Result of the study shows the rate of coda amplitude attenuation demonstrates remarkable regional differences respectively in the southern and northern areas. The southern area presents a faster attenuation (Q _c=114), whereas the northern area shows a slower attenuation (Q _c=231). The paper also discusses the reasons causing such differences. Result of the study also suggests a fairly good linear relation between the coda source factorA _o(f) and the seismic moment and the magnitude. Using the earthquake scaling law, the following formulas can be derived: lgM ₀=lgA ₀(f)+17.6,M _D=0.67lgA ₀(f)+1.21 and logM ₀=1.5M _D+15.79. In addition, the rates of amplitude attenuationβ _s andβ _m are respectively calculated using the single scattering and multiple scattering models, and the ratioβ _s/β_m=1.20−1.50 is found for the results respectively from the two models. Finally, the mean free pathL of the S-wave scattering in the southern and northern areas are determined to be 54 km and 122 km respectively by the relations which can distinguish between the inherentQ _i and scatteringQ _s, testify to this areas having lowQ-values correspond to stronger scatterings. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,14, 71–82, 1992. This study is partly supported by the Seismological Science Foundation of the State Seismological Bureau of China, and the present English version of the paper is translated from its Chinese original by Wenyi Xia, Seismological Bureau of Yunnan Province.     

Time domain solution for multiple scattering and the coda envelopes

This article summarizes work on multiple scattering based on models of media with randomly distributed scatterers. The scatterers are isotropic and statistically uniform. Measuring distance in terms of mean-free pathL _s and time in terms of the mean-free timesL _s/V, whereV is the velocity of scattered waves, we have more convenient dimensionless distance and time. It can be shown that after the dimensionless time equals 0.65 energy contributed from multiple scattering becomes predominant. Thus the later coda reflects the effect of multiple scattering rather than single scattering. Treating the seismic record, including starting and tail parts, as a whole, the diffusion theory predicts that at a dense distribution of scatterers and a small distance between source and receiver, codas reflect mainly intrinsicQ _i. Of course, this conclusion is coincident with the presumption of the diffusion theory,Q _s>Q _i. However, from a new integral equation of multiple scattering, which deals with the scattered waves and primary waves separately, the conclusion is similar but clearer. This article quotes the new expression for coda energy in two-dimensional space. It shows that if the receiver is close to the source, the coda decay reflects only intrinsicQ _i, then as the distance increases, effects of scatteringQ _s, are involved in the decay feature. The theoretical plots of coda decay show that it seems in most cases in the earthQ _i should not be smaller than one tenth ofQ _s.Project Sponsored by the Joint Earthquake Science Foundation of China.     

Body-wave Attenuation in the Region of Garda, Italy

We analyzed the spectral amplitude decay with hypocentral distance of P and S waves generated by 76 small magnitude earthquakes (M_L 0.9–3.8) located in the Garda region, Central-Eastern Alps, Italy. These events were recorded by 18 stations with velocity sensors, in a distance range between 8 and 120 km. We calculated nonparametric attenuation functions (NAF) and estimated the quality factor Q of both body waves at 17 different frequencies between 2 and 25 Hz. Assuming a homogeneous model we found that the Q frequency dependence of P and S can be approximated with the functions Q _P = 65 f ^0.9 and Q _S = 160 f ^0.6 , respectively. At 2 Hz the Q _S /Q _P ratio reaches the highest value of 2.8. At higher frequencies Q _S /Q _P varies between 0.7 and 1.7, suggesting that for this frequency band scattering may be an important attenuation mechanism in the region of Garda. To explore the variation of Q in depth, we estimated Q at short (r ≤ 30 km) and intermediate (35–90 km) distance paths. We found that in the shallow crust P waves attenuate more than S (1.3 < Q _S /Q _P < 2.5). Moreover, P waves traveling along paths in the lower crust (depths approximately greater than 30 km) attenuate more than S waves. To quantify the observed variability of Q in depth we considered a three-layer model and inverted the NAF to estimate Q in each layer. We found that in the crust Q increases with depth. However, in the upper mantle (~40–50 km depth) Q decreases and in particular the high frequency Q _S (f > 9 Hz) has values similar to those estimated for the shallow layer of the crust.     

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.     

Lg coda Q0 value and its relation with the tectonics in Chinese mainland and adjacent regions

We have collected 432 vertical component records from 45 stations of new CENC （China Earthquake Network Center） in Chinese mainland and adjacent regions. These records were used to calculate Q0 （Q at 1Hz） and η values of Lg coda from each station by the stack spectral ratio （SSR） method. Then the tomography method was applied to obtaining lateral variation of Q0 and η values in Chinese mainland and adjacent regions. The result indicates that Q0 value varies between 150 and 600 in the studied areas. Yunnan, southwest Sichuan, and northwest Myanmar show the lowest Q0 value （Q0〈240） and the crust of these regions is characterized by complicated crack and strong hydrothermal activity. The highest Q0 value （Qo〉510） exists in the border of southern Mongolia, Alxa and Ordos block. The η value varies between 0.45 and 0.75 in Chinese mainland and its adjacent regions.     

Frequency dependence of crustalQ β in stable and tectonically active regions

Fundamental-mode Rayleigh wave attenuation data for stable and tectonically active regions of North America, South America, and India are inverted to obtain several frequency-independent and frequency-dependentQ models. Because of trade-offs between the effect of depth distribution and frequency-dependence ofQ on surface wave attenuation there are many diverse models which will satisfy the fundamental-mode data. Higher-mode data, such as 1-Hz Lg can, however, constrain the range of possible models, at least in the upper crust. By using synthetic Lg seismograms to compute expected Lg attenuation coefficients for various models we obtained frequency-dependentQ models for three stable and three tectonically active regions, after making assumptions concerning the nature of the variation ofQ with frequency.In stable regions, ifQ varies as , where is a constant, models in which =0.5, 0.5, and 0.75 satisfy fundamental-mode Rayleigh and 1-Hz Lg data for eastern North America, eastern South America, and the Indian Shield, respectively. IfQ is assumed to be independent of frequency (=0.0) for periods of 3 s and greater, and is allowed to increase from 0.0 at 3 s to a maximum value at 1 s, then that maximum value for is about 0.7, 0.6, and 0.9, respectively, for eastern North America, eastern South America, and the Indian Shield. TheQ models obtained under each of the above-mentioned two assumptions differ substantially from one another for each region, a result which indicates the importance of obtaining high-quality higher-mode attenuation data over a broad range of periods.Tectonically active regions require a much lower degree of frequency dependence to explain both observed fundamental-mode and observed Lg data. Optimum values of for western North America and western South America are 0.0 if is constant (Q is independent of frequency), but uncertainty in the Lg attenuation data allows to be as high as about 0.3 for western North America and 0.2 for western South America. In the Himalaya, the optimum value of is about 0.2, but it could range between 0.0 and 0.5. Frequency-independent models (=0.0) for these regions yield minimumQ values in the upper mantle of about 40, 70, and 40 for western North America, western South America, and the Himalaya, respectively.In order to be compatible with the frequency dependence ofQ observed in body-wave studies,Q in stable regions must be frequency-dependent to much greater depths than those which can be studied using the surface wave data available for this study, andQ in tectonically active regions must become frequency-dependent at upper mantle or lower crustal depths.On leave from the Department of Geophysics, Yunnan University, Kunming Yunnan, People's Republic of China     

Attenuation of P and pP waves in Vrancea area – Romania

The seismic attenuation in the Vrancea region (Romania) is investigated from teleseismic recordings of P and pP waves during the four major, intermediate-depth Romanian events that occurred since the onset of digital instrumentation. Most stations are located in Canada and in the United States, being equipped with a variety of sensors, especially short-period ones. The amplitude spectral ratio method is used, assuming no frequency dependence of the Q _P factor in the range 0.2–2 Hz. No apparent correlation between the derived attenuation value and the type of recording sensor is observed. Lateral variations of the attenuation are obtained, with a very low Q _P area (values down to 33) located in the northwestern part of the Vrancea seismogenic volume. For the stations with different azimuth angles in relation to the epicentral area, Q _P values routinely exceed 200. Most likely, the low attenuation values are related to an upwelling mantle material located immediately beneath the crust, but limited in depth to at least 100 km.     

Determining Q of near-surface materials from Rayleigh waves

High-frequency (≥2 Hz) Rayleigh wave phase velocities can be inverted to shear (S)-wave velocities for a layered earth model up to 30 m below the ground surface in many settings. Given S-wave velocity (V_S), compressional (P)-wave velocity (V_P), and Rayleigh wave phase velocities, it is feasible to solve for P-wave quality factor Q_P and S-wave quality factor Q_S in a layered earth model by inverting Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients. Model results demonstrate the plausibility of inverting Q_S from Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients. Contributions to the Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients from Q_P cannot be ignored when Vs/V_P reaches 0.45, which is not uncommon in near-surface settings. It is possible to invert Q_P from Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients in some geological setting, a concept that differs from the common perception that Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients are always far less sensitive to Q_P than to Q_S. Sixty-channel surface wave data were acquired in an Arizona desert. For a 10-layer model with a thickness of over 20 m, the data were first inverted to obtain S-wave velocities by the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method and then quality factors were determined by inverting attenuation coefficients.     

Lateral variations of coda Q and attenuation of seismic waves in Southwest Anatolia

The seismic quality factor (Q _c) and the attenuation coefficient (δ) in the earth’s crust in southwest (SW) Anatolia are estimated by using the coda wave method based on the decrease of coda wave amplitude by time on the seismogram. The quality factor Q _o, the value of Q _c at 1 Hz, and its frequency dependency η are determined from this method depending on the attenuation properties of scattered coda waves. δ is determined from the observations of amplitude variations of seismic waves. In applying the coda wave method, firstly, a type curve representing the average pattern of the individual coda decay curves for 0.75, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0, and 24.0 Hz values was estimated. Secondly, lateral variation of coda Q and the attenuation coefficients for three main tectonic patterns are estimated. The shape of the type curve is controlled by the scattering and attenuation in the crustal volume sampled by the coda waves. The Q _o and η values vary from 30 to 180 and from 0.55 to 1.25, respectively for SW Anatolia. In SW Anatolia, coda Q–f relation is described by and δ = 0.008 km⁻¹. These results are expected to help in understanding the degree of tectonic complexity of the crust in SW Anatolia.     

Attenuation of coda waves and Q c value beneath the Chengdu telemetered seismic network

Based on the single scattering model of coda power spectrum analysis, digital waveform data of 50 events recorded by the real-time processing system of the Chengdu telemetry network are analyzed to estimate the Q _c values of earth medium beneath the Chengdu telemetry network for several specified frequencies. It is found that the Q _c shows the frequency dependency in the form of Q _c = Q ₀ f ⁿ in the range of 1.0 to 20.0Hz. Estimated Q ₀ ranges from 60.83 to 178.05, and n is found to be 0.713 to 1.159. The average value of Q ₀ and n are 117 and 0.978 respectively. This result indicates the strong frequency dependency of the attenuation of coda waves beneath the Chengdu telemetry network. Comparing with the results obtained in other regions of the world, it is found that Q ₀ ⁻¹ value and its change with frequency are similar to those in regions with strong tectonic activity. This subject is supported by the Ministry of Personnel, China for partly sponsoring.     

Anelasticity of the crust and upper mantle beneath north and central India from the inversion of observed Love and Rayleigh wave attenuation data

The fundamental mode Love and Rayleigh waves generated by earthquakes occurring in Kashmir, Nepal Himalaya, northeast India and Burma and recorded at Hyderabad, New Delhi and Kodaikanal seismic stations are analysed. Love and Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients are obtained at time periods of 15–100 seconds, using the spectral amplitude of these waves for 23 different paths along northern (across Burma to New Delhi) and central (across Kashmir, Nepal Himalaya and northeast India to Hyderabad and Kodaikanal) India. Love wave attenuation coefficients are found to vary from 0.0003 to 0.0022 km^–1 for northern India and 0.00003 km^–1 to 0.00016 km^–1 for central India. Similarly, Rayleigh wave attenuation coefficients vary from 0.0002 km^–1 to 0.0016 km^–1 for northern India and 0.00001 km^–1 to 0.0009 km^–1 for central India. Backus and Gilbert inversion theory is applied to these surface wave attenuation data to obtainQ ^–1 models for the crust and uppermost mantle beneath northern and central India. Inversion of Love and Rayleigh wave attenuation data shows a highly attenuating zone centred at a depth of 20–80 km with lowQ for northern India. Similarly, inversion of Love and Rayleigh wave attenuation data shows a high attenuation zone below a depth of 100 km. The inferred lowQ value at mid-crustal depth (high attenuating zone) in the model for northern India can be by underthrusting of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate which has caused a low velocity zone at this shallow depth. The gradual increase ofQ ^–1 from shallow to deeper depth shows that the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is not sharply defined beneath central India, but rather it represents a gradual transformation, which starts beneath the uppermost mantle. The lithospheric thickness is 100 km beneath central India and below that the asthenosphere shows higher attenuation, a factor of about two greater than that in the lithosphere. The very lowQ can be explained by changes in the chemical constitution taking place in the uppermost mantle.     

Inferred attenuation from site effect-correctedT phases recorded on the island of Hawaii

Coda site amplification factors are used to eliminate the site effect from records of three circum-PacificT phases recorded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) network on the island of Hawaii. ObservedT-phase amplitudes across the island generally decrease with increasing distance from the conversion point where acoustic waves in the SOFAR channel become seismic waves propagating through the crust. However, the decay of the observedT-phase signal across the island is not regular in regions of dense station coverage, in particular, the Kilauea caldera region. We divide the maximum observedT-phase amplitudes at a given station by the coda site amplification factor obtained for the same station and frequency band (3.0Hz); the distribution of these amplitudes reveals a smooth pattern over the entire island. The distance over which the site effect-correctedT-phase amplitude decreases by one-half, combined with the apparent velocity of propagation ofT phases across the island, allows for an approximate determination of near-surfaceQ over much of the island of Hawaii. We found a region of lowQ in the Kilauea summit area (Q≈30) and east rift zone (Q≈60) with considerably higherQ in the Kaoiki and northern portions of the island (Q≈150 to 200). The lowQ values obtained in the Kilauea summit region and east rift zone are significantly lower than estimates of codaQ in the same region, suggestingT phases may be sampling the earth's near-surface properties.     

Three-dimensional Q structure in Jiashi earthquake region of Xinjiang

3-D S-waveQ structure in Jiashi earthquake region is inverted based on the attenuation of seismic waves recorded from earthquakes in this region in 1998 by the Research Center of Exploration Geophysics (RCEG), CSB, and a rough configuration of deep crustal faults in the earthquake region is presented. First, amplitude spectra of S-waves are extracted from 450 carefully-chosen earthquake records, called observed amplitude spectra. Then, after instrumental and site effect correction, theoretical amplitude spectra are made to fit observed amplitude spectra with nonlinear damped least-squares method to get the observed travel time overQ, provided that earthquake sources conform to Brune’s disk dislocation model. Finally, by 3-D ray tracing method, theoretical travel time overQ is made to fit observed travel time overQ with nonlinear damped least-squares method. In the course of fitting, the velocity model, which is obtained by 3-D travel time tomography, remains unchanged, while onlyQ model is modified. When fitting came to the given accuracy, the ultimateQ model is obtained. The result shows that an NE-trending lowQ zone exists at the depths of 10–18 km, and an NW-trending lowQ zone exists at the depths of 12–18 km. These roughly coincide with the NE-trending and the NW-trending low velocity zones revealed by other scientists. The difference is that the lowQ zones have a wider range than the low velocity zones. Foundation item: Joint Seismological Science Foundation of China (957-07-414) and State Key Basic Research Development and Programming Project (95-13-02-02). Contribution No. RCEG200105, Research Center of Exploration Geophysics, China Seismological Bureau.     

新10井水位对九寨沟M_S7.0、精河M_S6.6地震同震响应

基于新10井水位对九寨沟M_S7.0、精河M_S6.6地震的同震响应特征,分别利用水震波和潮汐分析法,反演得到了新10井水位在地震波作用期间和地震波作用前后含水层参数特征,探讨了2次地震引起的新10井同震响应变化机理。结果表明,新10井水位对九寨沟地震和精河地震具有不同的同震响应形态,利用水平流模型反演所得的新10井含水层渗透系数,在九寨沟地震时为61m/d,而在精河地震时为147m/d,表明地震波作用导致水平向的渗透性增强;利用垂向流模型反演得到的新10井含水层渗透系数,在2次地震之前约为49×10~(-5)m/d,而在地震之后约为18×10~(-5)m/d,表明地震波作用导致垂直向的渗透性减弱。因此,新10井水位的同震响应变化与地震波引起的含水层渗透率的改变有关。     

Research on coda Q distribution in Beijing and its surrounding regions

Based on the single scattering model of seismic coda waves, we have calculated theQ-factor in Beijing and its surrounding regions by means of calculating the power density spectrum in frequency domain with a fixed time window. The digital seismic data of 69 earthquakes from Beijing Telemetered Seismographic Network are used. These earthquakes were recorded from January 1, 1989 to December 31, 1990 at 20 stations. This paper shows the variations of the codaQ-factors in the studied region with different sites, frequency and lapse time, and the temporal change of the codaQ-factors in these two years. The results indicate that codaQ-factor depends strongly on the lapse time and frequency. It is assumed that whenQ _C=Q ₀f^η, for the three time windows of 15–30s, 30–60s and 60–90s, the average values ofQ ₀ are 48, 115 and 217; and the average values ofη are 0. 89, 0.91 and 0.74, respectively. Contribution No. 95A0009, Institute of Geophysics, SSB, China. This work is a contract subject 85-04-01-02 of the State Seismological Bureau, China.