Use of mode-converted waves in marine seismic data to investigate the lithology of the sub-bottom sediments in Isfjorden,Svalbard

The compression wavefield is efficiently converted to shear-wave energy at post-critical angles in areas of high impedance contrast at the sea floor. We have analysed mode-converted shear waves in a data set acquired with a hybrid marine/land geometry in Isfjorden, Svalbard. Through a kinematic 2D ray-tracing modellingV _p/V_s ratios for part of the uppermost 5km of the crust are obtained. Low values (V _p /V _s =1.65) are tentatively associated with the section of Devonian sandstones which appears to attain a minimum thickness of 1.5km below 3 km depth about 10km west of Kapp Thorden.     

用剪切波分裂研究台湾北部地壳各向异性

研究主要使用台湾北部13个地震台站记录到的1991年7月～2002年12月的波形数据,采用剪切波分裂SAM分析方法,对台湾北部地区的剪切波分裂特征进行了研究.发现位于宜兰盆地内的台站的快剪切波优势偏振方向为近E-W方向,而位于山脉(西部麓山带、雪山山脉和中央山脉)的台站的快剪切波优势偏振方向为NNE向或NE方向.位于海...     

EXTENSIVE-DILATANCY ANISOTROPY: RELATIVE INFORMATION IN VSPs AND REFLECTION SURVEYS1

Shear-waves have complicated interactions with the free surface, particularly in the presence of low-velocity surface layers, topographic irregularities, and the expected near-surface crack and stress anomalies. Consequently, it has been suggested that shear-waves should be recorded subsurface in vertical seismic profiles (VSPs), in order to extract accurate information about the in situ crack and stress geometry contained in shear-wave splitting. This paper compares the information in synthetic shear-waves in reflection gathers and VSPs, in order to assess the relative merits of the two techniques for investigating shear-wave splitting. Synthetic seismograms demonstrate that in the presence of even very simple surface layers, shear-waves recorded in reflection surveys at the surface have polarizations which may not indicate crack and stress geometry at depth. In contrast, shear-waves recorded in VSPs are relatively unaffected by surface layers and near-surface stress and crack anomalies, and the behaviour of shear-wave splitting is dominated by the structure of the rock mass in the vicinity of subsurface geophones. Matrix rotations of multicomponent-multisource shear-wave reflection data to extract the information contained in the split shear-waves, are found to be directly meaningful only in situations where crack orientations do not change with depth.     

COMPARISON OF SIGNAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR ESTIMATING THE EFFECTS OF ANISOTROPY1

Three-component recordings of shear-waves in exploration surveys provide an opportunity to measure crustal anisotropy, which may be important in estimating the geometrical and physical parameters of reservoir rocks. VSPs are particularly important for this purpose as they are less subject to the complex interactions of the shear wavefield with the free surface. The first stage in characterizing the subsurface anisotropy requires that the distinctive phenomenon of shear-wave splitting must be examined for every arrival at each geo-phone. This effect may be defined by two parameters: the polarization of the leading shear-wave and the time-delay between corresponding split shear-waves. A variety of techniques have been designed to estimate these parameters of shear-wave splitting. Here, we classify the published techniques into four main categories and review their properties. Representative procedures from each group are applied to a common synthetic data set contaminated with signal-generated noise. The results allow some general statements to be made about the utility of these methods for processing shear-waves in VSP data.     

Elastic anisotropy due to aligned cracks in porous rock1

All theoretical expressions which relate the characteristics of saturated aligned cracks to the associated elastic anisotropy are restricted in some important way, for example to the case of stiff pore fluids, or of the absence of equant porosity, or of a moderately high frequency band. Because of these restrictions, previous theory is not suitable for application to the upper crust, where the pore fluid is brine (K_f? K₈20), the equant porosity is often substantial (φ_p > 0.1), and the frequency band is sonic to seismic. This work removes these particular restrictions, recognizing in the process an important mechanism of dispersion. A notable feature of these more general expressions is their insensitivity, at low frequency, to the aspect ratio of the cracks; only the crack density is critical. An important conclusion of this more general model is that many insights previously achieved, concerning the shear-wave splitting due to vertical aligned saturated cracks, are sustained. However, conclusions on crack orientation or crack aspect ratio, which were derived from P-wave data or from shear-wave‘critical angles’, may need to be reconsidered. Further, the non-linear coupling between pores and cracks, due to pressure equalization effects, means that the (linear) Schoenberg-Muir calculus may not be applied to such systems. The theory receives strong support from recent data by Rathore et al. on artificial samples with controlled crack geometry.     

剪切波分裂分析系统SAM(2007)——区域地震台网资料应用实例

通过对云南、辽宁、福建遥测地震台网的波形资料分析实例,介绍了"剪切波分裂系统分析方法"软件SAM(2007)的用法。通过对区域台网资料的处理分析,表明SAM(2007)是研究剪切波分裂的一个比较实用的软件,能够有效的处理快、慢剪切波识别的问题,研究地壳介质的地震各向异性问题,能普遍用于分析国内区域地震台网资料。     

青藏高原东北缘中上地壳介质各向异性及其构造意义

青藏高原东北缘(94°E—105°E,32°N-40°N)是高原北东向扩张的前沿地带,亦是研究高原生长过程的重要区域.本文利用青海省数字地震台网(2008-2014年)共7年的地震目录和波形数据,首先使用双差定位获取精定位震源位置,在此基础上,挑选位于S波窗口内(射线入射角≤45°)的地震事件,依据S波分裂分析方法(SAM),获取研究区域内共26个台站的S波分裂参数.研究结果表明:地处多个块体交汇部位的西宁及其周缘,地壳各向异性呈现两个优势偏振方向,表明该区中上地壳应力环境由区域主压应力场和活动断层共同约束;玉树地震序列的地壳各向异性优势偏振方向与区域主压应力场一致.     

中国地震科学台阵两期观测资料近场记录揭示的南北地震带地壳剪切波分裂特征

利用中国地震科学台阵第一期(2011-01-2014-06)及部分中国地震科学台阵第二期(2013-02-2015-12)的流动地震台阵记录到的小震波形资料,运用剪切波分裂系统分析(SAM)方法,分析南北地震带的地壳各向异性,对剪切波分裂参数所反映的区域应力环境及构造特征,以及区域内主压应力方向与断裂分布的关系展开讨论.研究结果表明,南北地震带快剪切波偏振方向自北向南由NE向逐渐转变为NNW向,与南北地震带区域主压应力的方向变化具有一致性.区域内分布的大量NE及WNW或NW向断裂构造同样对快波偏振方向有比较大的影响,位于走滑断裂附近的台站,其快波方向与断裂走向大致平行,部分位于走滑断裂附近的台站其快波方向几乎垂直于断裂走向,而与构造应力场方向一致性较好.个别台站表现出复杂快波优势方向特征,反映出研究区内构造环境的复杂性.慢波时间延迟结果显示,南北地震带南段的平均时间延迟高于北段,反映了受印度板块和欧亚板块的碰撞挤压作用,南段地壳介质各向异性程度更大,构造变形更加剧烈.对比南北地震带上地幔各向异性特征,推测在川滇菱形块体内部可能存在复杂的壳幔耦合现象,地壳剪切波分裂除了反映区域应力特征,还可以揭示出区域构造信息.     

Receiver function study in northern Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula

In this receiver function study, we investigate the structure of the crust beneath six seismic broadband stations close to the Sunda Arc formed by subduction of the Indo-Australian under the Sunda plate. We apply three different methods to analyse receiver functions at single stations. A recently developed algorithm determines absolute shear-wave velocities from observed frequency-dependent apparent incidence angles of P waves. Using waveform inversion of receiver functions and a modified Zhu and Kanamori algorithm, properties of discontinuities such as depth, velocity contrast, and sharpness are determined. The combination of the methods leads to robust results. The approach is validated by synthetic tests. Stations located on Malaysia show high-shear-wave velocities (V _S) near the surface in the range of 3.4–3.6 km s^− 1 attributed to crystalline rocks and 3.6–4.0 km s^− 1 in the lower crust. Upper and lower crust are clearly separated, the Moho is found at normal depths of 30–34 km where it forms a sharp discontinuity at station KUM or a gradient at stations IPM and KOM. For stations close to the subduction zone (BSI, GSI and PSI) complexity within the crust is high. Near the surface low V _S of 2.6–2.9 km s^− 1 indicate sediment layers. High V _S of 4.2 km s^− 1 are found at depth greater than 6 and 2 km at BSI and PSI, respectively. There, the Moho is located at 37 and 40 km depth. At station GSI, situated closest to the trench, the subducting slab is imaged as a north-east dipping structure separated from the sediment layer by a 10 km wide gradient in V _S between 10 and 20 km depth. Within the subducting slab V _S ≈ 4.7 km s^− 1. At station BSI, the subducting slab is found at depth between 90 and 110 km dipping 20° ± 8° in approximately N 60° E. A velocity increase in similar depth is indicated at station PSI, however no evidence for a dipping layer is found.     

Modelling shear waves in OBS data from the Vøring basin (Northern Norway) by 2-D ray-tracing

Three component recordings from an array of five ocean bottom seismographs in the northwestern part of the Vøring basin have been used to obtain a 2-D shear-wave (S-wave) velocity-depth model. The shear waves are identified by means of travel-time differences compared to the compressional (P) waves, and by analyzing their particle motions. The model has been obtained by kinematic (travel-time) ray-tracing modelling of the OBS horizontal components.The shear-wave modelling indicates that mode conversions occur at several high velocity interfaces (sills) in the 4–10 km depth range, previously defined by a compressional-wave velocity-depth model using the same data set.An averageV _p /V _s ratio of 2.1 is inferred for the layers above the uppermost sill, indicative of both poorly consolidated sediments and a low sand/shale ratio. A significant decrease in theV _p /V _s ratio (1.7) below the first sill may in part be atributed to well consolidated sediments, and to a change in lithology to more sandy sediments. This layer is interpreted to lie within the lower Cretaceous sequence. At 5–10 km depthV _p /V _s ratios of 1.85 indicate a lower sand/shale ratio consistent with the expected lithologies. The averageV _p /V _s ratio inferred for the crust is 1.75, which is consistent with values obtained north of Vøring, in the Lofoten area. An eastward thinning of the crystalline basement is supported by the shear-wave modelling.     

基于地壳介质各向异性分析青藏高原东北缘构造应力特征

青藏高原东北缘由于受到多个构造块体的共同约束,表现出复杂的地球物理特性和地质特性,本文利用甘肃数字地震台网(2001-2008年)的观测资料,采用系统分析方法(SAM),进行地壳剪切波分裂分析,获得研究区内18个台站共1005条记录的剪切波分裂参数.研究结果表明,青藏高原东北缘介质各向异性在空间上存在差异,慢剪切波延迟时间表明了地壳介质各向异性的强弱变化特征,快剪切波平均偏振方向则反映了本区区域构造应力的空间变化特征.分析认为,祁连山-河西走廊活动构造区直接受青藏地块与阿拉善地块间相互作用,与青藏地块构造应力一致;甘东南活动构造区的应力环境主要受到内部活动断裂的共同作用,具有局部构造应力的特征.     

Seismic Characterization of Neapolitan Soils

— Detailed shear-wave velocity profiles versus depth have been obtained in typical lithostratigraphies of Napoli. FTAN and hedgehog methods have been applied to Rayleigh surface waves recorded in refraction seismic surveys. The comparison with literature measurements shows good agreement with nearby down- and cross-hole tests. The pumiceous and lapilli content, and the different welding and alteration degree of the Neapolitan pyroclastic soils cause a strong scattering of the shear wave velocities (V_S) from bore-hole measurements, even for the same formation. Surface measurements, based on FTAN-hedgehog methods, determine average V_S along travel paths of about 100 m, give results that are comparable with down- and cross-hole velocity profiles, and have the additional advantage of being less scattered, and thus more representative of average properties than bore-hole measurements. The results of surface measurements should be preferred in the computation of realistic seismograms and are particularly suitable in urban areas, as they are not destructive and need just one receiver.     

Vp and Vp/Vs structures in the crust and upper mantle of the Taiwan region, China

A tomographic study of the V _p and V _p/V _s structures in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Taiwan region of China is conducted by simultaneous inversion of P and S arrival times. Compared with the previous tomographic results, the spherical finite difference technique is suitable for the strong heterogeneous velocity structure, and may improve the accuracy in the travel time and three-dimensional ray tracing calculations. The V _p and V _p/V _s structures derived from joint inversion and the relocated earthquakes can provide better constraints for analyzing the lateral heterogeneity and deep tectonic characters in the crust and upper mantle. Our tomographic results reveal significant relations between the seismic wavespeed structure and the tectonic characters. In the shallow depth, sedimentary basins and orogen show distinct wavespeed anomalies, with low V _p, high V _p/V _s in basins and high V _p, low V _p/V _s in orogen. As the suture zone of Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate, Longitudinal Valley is characterized by a significant high V _p/V _s anomaly extending to the middle-lower crust and upper mantle, which reflects the impact of rock cracking, partial melting, and the presence of fluids. In the northeast Taiwan, the V _p, V _p/V _s anomalies and relocated earthquakes depict the subducting Philippine Sea Plate under the Eurasian Plate. The high V _p of oceanic plate and the low V _p, high V _p/V _s atop the subducted oceanic plate extend to 80 km depth. Along the east-west profiles, the thickness of crust reaches 60 km at the east of Central Range with eastward dipping trend, which reveals the eastward subduction of the thickened and deformed crust of the Eurasian continental plate. Supported by Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-234-2), National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB411701), National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2006AA09A101-0201) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40804016, 40704013)     

龙门山断裂带域上地壳各向异性及其变化

龙门山断裂带上发生了2008年汶川8.0级和2013年芦山7.0级地震,为了研究芦山地震前后该区域地壳各向异性的空间分布和变化,以及较大地震对快剪切波偏振方向造成的影响,本文运用剪切波分裂系统分析方法,结合固定地震台网（2010-01—2017-10）和川西流动地震台阵（2006-10—2009-07）的小震波形数据,得到了龙门山断裂带及邻近地区上地壳各向异性参数.结果表明,慢剪切波时间延迟主要分布在0.65~7.39 ms·km^-1之间,横向上具有不均匀性,地壳20 km以上的介质对各向异性的贡献较大.快剪切波优势偏振方向主要为NW或NWW和NE向,具有明显的分区特性.位于龙门山断裂带附近台站的快剪切波偏振方向自北向南由NWW转变为NW、NE向,在南段又变为NWW、NE向,指示了龙门山断裂带的分段特性是其构造属性.根据得到的有效事件数据,本文使用的49个台站中有19个台站的各向异性参数与反方位角、深度、震级和路径长度等显示出一定的相关性.研究区内的芦山地震及其他较大地震可能影响了局部快剪切波偏振方向.研究表明,更多的有效事件数据将有益于定量分析局部构造应力场和断裂属性的变化情况,从而有益于断裂带地震学特性及地震预测研究.     

四川、甘肃地区VS30经验估计研究

目前我国建筑工程抗震设计规范中对于工程场地条件的判断依据主要是地表以下20m深度范围内土层的等效剪切波速,简称VS20。相比之下,国外应用较广的是地表以下30m深度范围内的等效剪切波速,简称VS30。这种差别导致国内科研工作者在应用国外的地震工程、工程抗震模型时经常遇到对场地条件描述不准确的困难。为了解决这个问题,本文根据147个四川、甘肃地区国家强震动台站20m左右深度的钻孔剪切波速数据,利用延拓方法、场地分类统计方法以及基于地形特征的VS30估计方法研究各台站VS30与VS20的经验关系,对比发现基于速度梯度延拓的结果最为可取。参考国际上通用的Geomatrix Classification场地分类标准,最终得到四川、甘肃地区各类场地的平均VS30,此结果可以为缺乏钻孔数据的工程场地的VS30估计提供参考。     

VISCOELASTIC SEISMIC RESPONSES OF 2D RESERVOIR MODELS1

The use of relaxation mechanisms has recently made it possible to simulate viscoelastic (Q) effects accurately in time-domain numerical computations of seismic responses. As a result, seismograms may now be synthesized for models with arbitrary spatial variations in compressional- and shear-wave quality factors (Q₉, and Q_s, as well as in density (ρ) and compressional- and shear-wave velocities (V_p, and V_s). Reflections produced by Q contrasts alone may have amplitudes as large as those produced by velocity contrasts. Q effects, including their interaction with V_p, V_s and p, contribute significantly to the seismic response of reservoirs. For band-limited data at typical seismic frequencies, the effects of Q on reflectivity and attenuation are more visible than those on dispersion. Synthetic examples include practical applications to reservoir exploration, evaluation and monitoring. Q effects are clearly visible in both surface and offset vertical seismic profile data. Thus, AVO analyses that neglect Q may produce erroneous conclusions.     

Study of crustal structure and geological implications of southwestern margin of Northeast India

It is noticed that few geophysical studies have been carried out to decipher the crustal structure of southwestern part of the Northeast India comprising of Tripura fold belt and Bengal basin as compared to the Shillong plateau and the Brahmaputra basin. This region has a long history of seismicity that is still continuing. We have determined first-order crustal features in terms of Moho depths (H) and average V_P/V_S ratios (κ) using H-κ stacking technique. The inversion of receiver functions data yields near surface thick sedimentary layer in the Bengal basin, which is nearly absent in the Shillong plateau and Tripura fold belt. Our result suggests that the crust is thicker (38–45 km) in the Tripura fold belt region with higher shear-wave velocity in the lower crust than the Shillong plateau. The distribution of V_P/V_S ratio indicates heterogeneity throughout the whole region. While low to medium value of Poisson’s ratio (1.69–1.75) indicates the presence of felsic crust in the Shillong plateau of the extended Indian Archean crust. The medium to high values of V_P/V_S ratio (> 1.780) in the Bengal basin and the Tripura fold belt region represent mafic crust during the formation of the Bengal delta and the Tripura fold belt creation in the Precambrian to the Permian age. The depth of the sediments in the Bengal basin is up to 8 km on its eastern margin, which get shallower toward its northeastern and southeastern margins.     

2013年芦山MS7.0地震序列S波分裂特征

本文测定了2013年4月20日芦山M_S7.0地震震源区及其附近台站的S波分裂参数,包括快波偏振方向和慢波延迟时间,最终得到了40个台站的S波分裂结果．结果显示:在地震主破裂区内观测到的快波优势取向为NE向,与余震分布的长轴方向一致;位于双石—大川断裂以西台站的快波偏振优势方向为NW向,与区域最大主压应力轴方向一致;位于荥经断裂附近台站的快波偏振优势方向为NW向,与该断裂走向一致．快波偏振优势方向随时间的变化结果显示:主震前位于地震破裂区附近的TQU和BAX台站的快波偏振优势方向均呈NE向;主震后TQU台站的快波偏振优势方向为近EW向,而BAX台站的快波偏振优势方向则不突出,反映出芦山地震主震前快波偏振方向受控于龙门山断裂带,而主震后受构造应力场的作用更加明显．此外,各台站的慢波延迟时间为1.25—5.40ms/km,在余震覆盖密集区域,台站的慢波延迟时间均大于3.0ms/km,反映出震源区的各向异性程度较强．芦山主震后,各台站的延迟时间随时间变化持续减小,反映出震源区地壳应力随余震活动逐渐减小．      

Seismic anisotropy in granite at the Underground Research Laboratory, Manitoba

The Shear-Wave Experiment at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's Underground Research Laboratory was probably the first controlled-source shear-wave survey in a mine environment. Taking place in conjunction with the excavation of the Mine-by test tunnel at 420 m depth, the shear-wave experiment was designed to measure the in situ anisotropy of the rockmass and to use shear waves to observe excavation effects using the greatest variety of raypath directions of any in situ shear-wave survey to date. Inversion of the shear-wave polarizations shows that the anisotropy of the in situ rockmass is consistent with hexagonal symmetry with an approximate fabric orientation of strike 023° and dip 35°. The in situ anisotropy is probably due to microcracks with orientations governed by the in situ stress field and to mineral alignment within the weak gneissic layering. However, there is no unique interpretation as to the cause of the in situ anisotropy as the fabric orientation agrees approximately with both the orientation expected from extensive-dilatancy anisotropy and that of the gneissic layering. Eight raypaths with shear waves propagating wholly or almost wholly through granodiorite, rather than granite, do not show the expected shear-wave splitting and indicate a lower in situ anisotropy, which may be due to the finer grain size and/or the absence of gneissic layering within the granodiorite. These results suggest that shear waves may be used to determine crack and mineral orientations and for remote monitoring of a rockmass. This has potential applications in mining and waste monitoring.     

Anisotropic 4D seismic response inferred from ultrasonic laboratory measurements: A direct comparison with the isotropic response

Pore-pressure depletion causes changes in the triaxial stress state. Pore-pressure depletion in a flat reservoir, for example, can be reasonably approximated as uniaxial compaction, in which the horizontal effective stress change is smaller than the vertical effective stress. Furthermore, the stress sensitivity of velocities can be angle-dependent. Therefore, time-lapse changes in reservoir elastic anisotropy are expected as a consequence of production, which can complicate the interpretation of the 4D seismic response. The anisotropic 4D seismic response caused by pore-pressure depletion was investigated using existing core velocity measurements. To make a direct comparison between the anisotropic 4D seismic response and the isotropic response based only on vertical velocities, pseudoisotropic elastic properties were utilized, and the two responses were compared in terms of a dynamic rock physics template. A comparison of the dynamic rock physics templates indicates that time-lapse changes in reservoir elastic anisotropy have a noticeable impact on the interpretation of 4D seismic data. Changes in anisotropy as a result of pore-pressure depletion cause a time-lapse amplitude variation with offset response as if there is a reduction in V_P/V_S (i.e., pseudoisotropic V_P/V_S decreases), although the vertical V_P/V_S increases. The impact of time-lapse changes in anisotropy on the amplitude variation with offset gradient was also investigated, and the time-lapse anisotropy was found to enhance changes in the amplitude variation with offset gradient for a given case.