Scattering and anelastic attenuation of seismic energy in northern Greece

The relative contribution of scattering (Q _s ^–1 ) and intrinsic (Q _i ^–1 ) attenuation to the totalS-wave attenuation for the frequencies of 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 and 12.0 Hz has been studied by applying the radiative energy transfer theory, Data of local earthquakes which occurred in northern Greece and were recorded by the permanent telementered network of the Geophysical Laboratory of the University of Thessaloniki have been used. The results show that in this area the scattering attenuation is dominant over all frequencies while intrinsic attenuation is significantly lower. The estimatedQ _s ^–1 andQ _i ^–1 values have frequency dependences off ^–0.72 andf ^–0.45, respectively. The frequency dependence ofQ _s ^–1 is the same as that of the codaQ _c ^–1 , obtained by applying the single scattering model, which probably implies that the frequency dependence of the coda wave attenuation is attributed to the frequency dependence of the scattering attenuation.Q _c ^–1 values are very close to scattering attenuation for short lapse times, (10–20 sec), and intermediate between scattering and intrinsic attenuation for the longer lapse times, (50–100 sec). This difference is explained as the result of the depth-dependent attenuation properties and the multiple scattering effects.