Asymptotic overtone structure in eigenfrequencies of torsional normal modes of the Earth: a model study

Summary. The study of the asymptotic behaviour of eigenfrequencies of torsional modes of the Earth is of interest in the problem of the existence of discontinuities in the Earth's interior and the determination of their depth and scale, since the solotone effect, which is a persistent oscillatory cohponent in the asymptotic overtone structure, is very sensitive to the presence of discontinuities. The asymptotic behaviour of torsional eigenfrequencies of the second order differential equation for the Earth's free oscillations can be compared with that obtained from eigenfrequencies evaluated from synthetic SH-wave seismograms by Brune's phase correlation method, using various earth models. The solotone effect that appears in the former for discontinuous models can be explained in terms of multiple reflections fram the discontinuities, and can be reconstructed from synthetic SH -wave pulses arising from these reflections. Its properties vary systematically with the depth and the scale of discontinuities and can be superposed for several discontinuities.