Microtremor Analyses at Teide Volcano (Canary Islands,Spain): Assessment of Natural Frequencies of Vibration Using Time-dependent Horizontal-to-vertical Spectral Ratios

We use time-dependent horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSR) of microtremors to determine the dominant frequencies of vibration of the geological structures beneath several recording sites in the vicinity of Teide volcano (Canary Islands, Spain). In the microtremors, the time-dependent HVSRs (ratiograms) are a useful tool to discriminate between the presence of real dominant frequencies linked to resonances of the subsurface structure and the spurious appearance of peaks due to local transients. We verified that the results are repeatable, in the sense that microtremors recorded at the same site but at different times yield a very similar HVSR function. Two types of results are found: (1) sites where there is no resonance of the propagating microtremors, and therefore no value of a dominant frequency can be assessed; and (2) sites where a stationary peak in the HVSR is found and a dominant frequency related to resonance of the shallow structure can be estimated. These resonant frequencies show substantial spatial variations even for nearby sites, which reflects the complexity of the shallow velocity structure in the Las Cañadas area. Large dominant frequencies occur near the caldera walls and also at a few locations that coincide with the intersections of the inferred rims of the three calderas forming Las Cañadas. Small dominant frequencies also occur near the caldera rim, and may be due to discontinuities in the caldera wall and/or to local velocity anomalies. Intermediate frequencies are mostly found in the eastern part of the caldera, where a tentative profile of the basement depth has been obtained. Intermediate frequencies have also been measured south of Ucanca and south of Montaña Blanca. In view of the present results, we conclude that the use of ratiograms constitutes an improvement of the HVSR method and provides an appropriate tool to investigate the shallow velocity structure of a volcanic region.     

The Use of Ambient Seismic Noise Measurements for the Estimation of Surface Soil Effects: The Motril City Case (Southern Spain)

This paper presents a study of the ambient seismic noise features in Motril City. The predominant resonant period at each site was determined using the Horizontal to Vertical Noise Ratio (HVNR) of the microtremors records; it was applied to 91 points which cover the city and we present the distribution of the periods over a map which shows important characteristics requiring consideration in a study focussing on the mitigation of the seismic risk. Using these results, two zones can be distinguished: north of the GG profile with predominant periods smaller than 0.25 sec which corresponds with a hard soil, and south of GG with periods ranging from 0.25 to 0.6 indicating a medium-soft soil. Microtremors are a preliminary useful tool that compensates for the lack of seismic recorded data, and that can complement other valuable information (borehole logs, geology, etc.) to evaluate the seismic risk on places as Motril City where some of this information is unavailable. Through the predominant period the HVNR indicates the kind of soil we are dealing with.