MODELING OF SH-WAVE PROPAGATION IN AN IRREGULARLY LAYERED MEDIUM-APPLICATION TO SEISMIC PROFILES NEAR A DOME*

An approach that relies on a discrete representation of seismic wavefields allows the computation of synthetic SH-seismograms in a laterally varying medium with plane and curved interfaces in the two dimensional (2-D) case. The diffracting interface is represented by an array of body forces located along the interface at equal spacing. The numerical treatment is limited to the irregular boundary while the propagation in flat layered zones is obtained by the reflection-transmission matrix method. As an example we have studied the case of a dome in a stratified medium. The solutions obtained verify the reciprocity theorem with good accuracy. The computation of vertical profiles and of surface reflection profiles illustrates the effects of diffraction and the importance of lateral propagation in such a structure.