Geophysical Journal International

SummaryGeothermal heat flow beneath the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is an important boundary condition for ice sheet dynamics, but is rarely measured directly and therefore is inferred indirectly from proxies (e.g. seismic structure, magnetic Curie depth, surface topography). We seek to improve the understanding of the relationship between heat flow and one such proxy—seismic structure—and determine how well heat flow data can be predicted from the structure (the characterization problem). We also seek to quantify the extent to which this relationship can be extrapolated from one continent to another (the transportability problem). To address these problems, we use direct heat flow observations and new seismic structural information in the contiguous US and Europe, and construct three Machine Learning models of the relationship with different levels of complexity (Linear Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest). We compare these models in terms of their interpretability, the predicted heat flow accuracy within a continent, and the accuracy of the extrapolation between Europe and the US. The Random Forest and Decision Tree models are the most accurate within a continent, while the Linear Regression and Decision Tree models are the most accurate upon extrapolation between continents. The Decision Tree model uniquely illuminates the regional variations of the relationship between heat flow and seismic structure. From the Decision Tree model, uppermost mantle shear wavespeed, crustal shear wavespeed and Moho depth together explain more than half of the observed heat flow variations in both the US (r2 ≈ 0.6 (coefficient of determination), RMSE ≈ 8mW/m2 (Root Mean Squared Error)) and Europe (r2 ≈ 0.5, RMSE ≈ 13mW/m2), such that uppermost mantle shear wavespeed is the most important. Extrapolating the US-trained models to Europe reasonably predicts the geographical distribution of heat flow (ρ = 0.48 (correlation coefficient)), but not the absolute amplitude of the variations (r2 = 0.17), similarly from Europe to the US (ρ = 0.66, r2 = 0.24). The deterioration of accuracy upon extrapolation is caused by differences between the continents in how seismic structure is imaged, the heat flow data, and intrinsic crustal radiogenic heat production. Our methods have the potential to improve the reliability and resolution of heat flow inferences across Antarctica and the validation and cross-validation procedures we present can be applied to heat flow proxies other than seismic structure, which may help resolve inconsistencies between existing subglacial heat flow values inferred using different proxies.

SummaryMicroseismic monitoring is an important technique to obtain detailed knowledge of in-situ fracture size and orientation during stimulation to maximize fluid flow throughout the rock volume and optimize production. Furthermore, considering that the frequency of earthquake magnitudes empirically follows a power law (i.e. Gutenberg-Richter), the accuracy of microseismic event magnitude distributions is potentially crucial for seismic risk management. In this study, we analyze microseismicity observed during four hydraulic fracture treatments of the legacy Cotton Valley experiment in 1997 at the Carthage gas field of East Texas, where fractures were activated at the base of the sand-shale Upper Cotton Valley formation. We perform waveform cross-correlation to detect similar event clusters, measure relative amplitude from aligned waveform pairs with a principle component analysis, then measure precise relative magnitudes. The new magnitudes significantly reduce the deviations between magnitude differences and relative amplitudes of event pairs. This subsequently reduces the magnitude differences between clusters located at different depths. Reduction in magnitude differences between clusters suggests that some attenuation-related biases could be effectively mitigated with relative magnitude measurements. The maximum likelihood method is applied to understand the magnitude frequency distributions and quantify the seismogenic index of the clusters. Statistical analyses with new magnitudes suggest that fractures that are more favorably oriented for shear failure have lower b-value and higher seismogenic index, suggesting higher potential for relatively larger earthquakes, rather than fractures subparallel to maximum horizontal principal stress orientation.

SummaryThe prominent Pamir plateau holds considerable significance in comprehending the processes of Asian continental collisional orogeny. However, due to harsh natural conditions and low seismic activity within the Pamir hinterland, our understanding of this region remains deficient. Recent major events and the accumulation of geodetic observations present a rare opportunity for us to get insights into the tectonic activities and orogenic processes occurring in this region. Firstly, employing Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 SAR images, we acquire coseismic displacements associated with the most recent earthquakes in 2015 and 2023. Subsequently, we conduct the souce models inversion with the constraints of surface displacements based on a finite-fault model. Our results reveal displacements ranging from -0.8 m to 0.8 m for the 2015 Mw 7.2 Tajik earthquake and -0.25 m to 0.25 m for the 2023 Mw 6.9 Murghob event, respectively. The optimal three-segment model for the 2015 event ruptured a fault length of 89 km with a surface rupture extending 59 km along the Sarez-Karakul fault (SKF), characterized predominantly by left-lateral strike-slip motion, with a maximum slip of 3.5 m. Meanwhile, our preferred uniform slip model suggests that the 2023 event ruptured an unmapped fault in the southern Pamir region with a strike angle of 31° and a dip angle of 76.8°. The distributed slip model indicates that the 2023 event ruptured a fault length of 32 km, resulting in an 8 km surface rupture. This event is characterized by left-lateral strike slip, with a peak slip of 2.2 m. Secondly, the Coulomb stress calculations demonstrate that the 2023 event was impeded by the 2015 event. Finally, interseismic GPS data reveals a relative motion of 3.4–5.7 mm/yr in the N-S component and 3.2–3.8 mm/yr in the E-W component along the SKF in the Pamir hinterland, respectively. These N-S direction strike-slip activities and slip behaviors support an ongoing strong shear and extension in the Pamir regime, which is a response to the oblique convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates.

SummaryIn this study, we present the results of palaeomagnetic research conducted on Jurassic units of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin (CAB) in Patagonia, formed during Gondwana breakup. This basin is a key locality for understanding intra-plate deformation within Patagonia during the Jurassic. The nature of this basin has been a subject of debate, based on the dynamics of the blocks that constitute its depocentres. In this context, the palaeomagnetic study of the Jurassic units of this basin provides a unique methodology to characterise the tectonic motions of its crustal blocks during its formation and development. To achieve this, we collected 350 samples from 53 sites in the sedimentary units of Las Leoneras (ca. 189 Ma) and Cañadón Calcáreo Formations (ca. 160 Ma – 157 Ma), as well as the volcanic Lonco Trapial Group (ca. 185 Ma – 172 Ma). The palaeomagnetic results from the sedimentary units show a regional remagnetisation due to hydrothermal activity that obliterated the original remanence and overprinted a new one, simultaneously imprinting a secondary remanence in the volcanic units of the Lonco Trapial Group. When comparing the direction of the palaeomagnetic pole obtained from the remagnetised units with respect to average poles of equivalent ages, it is observed that the remagnetisation must have occurred during the Late Jurassic (ca. 145 Ma). The age range in which this process occurred (Oxfordian to Aptian) and the direction of the calculated pole dispute a monster polar shift postulated for Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous times. In addition, the primary magnetisation recorded in the units of the Lonco Trapial Group indicates a counterclockwise rotation of the studied crustal blocks between 21º and 11º, which, in line with previous studies, refutes large-scale dextral motion along the Gastre Fault System since the Jurassic. Similar counterclockwise rotations of equivalent magnitudes are found along the units overlying the Palaeozoic Central Patagonian Igneous-Metamorphic Belt, which represents the opposite shear sense compared to the Jurassic units beyond this belt. This is interpreted as a reactivation of the Palaeozoic belt structures in the opposite sense, from transpressive during the Palaeozoic to transtensive during the Mesozoic.

SummaryWe propose a novel method for three-dimensional (3D) magnetotelluric (MT) forward modeling based on hybrid meshless and finite-element (FE) methods. This method divides the earth model into a central computational region and an expansion one. For the central region, we adopt scatter points to discretize the model, which can flexibly and accurately characterize the complex structures without generating unstructured mesh. The meshless method using compact support radial basis function is applied to simulate this area's electromagnetic (EM) field. While in the expansion region, to avoid the heavy time consumption and numerical error of the meshless method caused by non-uniform nodes, we adopt a node-based finite-element method with regular hexahedral mesh for stability. Finally, the two discretized systems are coupled at the interface nodes according to the continuity conditions of vector and scalar potentials. Considering that the normal electric field is discontinuous at the interface with resistivity discontinuity, while the shape functions for the meshless method are continuous, we further adopt the visibility criterion in constructing the support region. Numerical experiments on typical models show that using the same degree of freedom (DOF), the hybrid meshless-FEM (HMF) algorithm has higher accuracy than the node-based finite element method (FEM) and meshless method. In addition, the electric field discontinuity at interfaces is well preserved, which proves the effectiveness of the visibility criterion method. In general, compared to the conventional grid-based method, this new approach doesn't need the complex mesh generation for complex structures and can achieve high accuracy, thus it has the potential to become a powerful 3D MT forward modeling technique.

SummaryThe northwestern margin of the Ordos block is structurally separated by the Yinchuan–Hetao graben system. As one of the most active intracontinental graben systems within the Eurasian continent, its kinematic pattern of crustal extension is crucial for unraveling the ongoing processes of intracontinental graben formation, while it remains unclear principally due to a lack of geological constraints on crustal deformation. We obtained and analyzed a densified GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) velocity field in this region. Our results suggest that the western margin of the Hetao graben exhibits the NW-directed crustal extension (∼ 1.1 mm/yr), which can be attributed to the conjugate transtension resulting from the left-lateral motion along the E–W-trending northern boundaries of the Alashan and Ordos blocks, as well as the right-lateral motion along the N–S-trending western margin of the Ordos block. Additionally, in response to the NE-directed extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau, the Alashan block undergoes approximately NE-directed contraction (4.9 ± 1.1 nanostrain/yr) and NW-directed extrusion (2.8 ± 0.8 nanostrain/yr), which vacates space for the crustal extension of the Yinchuan graben with a rate of 0.9±0.1 mm/yr. Although it is challenging to determine whether the left-lateral motion (approximately 1 mm/yr) along the E–W-trending Hetao graben is the far-field effect of western Pacific subduction, the gradual decrease in right-lateral motion from the N–S-trending western margin of the Ordos block toward the north side of the Yinshan Orogen manifests the far-field effect of the Indo-Eurasian plate convergence extending into the Mongolian Plateau.

SummaryThe fine-scale fractures within strike-slip faults substantially impact the flowing capacity. However, effective methods for their characterization are still lacking, making it challenging to predict hydrocarbon accumulation patterns. In this study, we conducted microscopic statistics, ultrasonic experiments, and theoretical modeling to analyze the fracture density and elastic characteristics within the strike-slip fault and investigated the impact of stress. Our findings reveal that the fracture density in the fault core is 3–4 times higher than that in the damage zone, and the acoustic velocity is 13 per cent–18 per cent lower under atmospheric pressure. With the rising confining pressure, the fracture density initially decreases rapidly and then slowly, while the acoustic velocity follows the same increasing trend. The gradually slowing trend indicates that the majority of fractures close within the range of 0–20 MPa. Moreover, the stress sensitivity of the bulk modulus is higher than that of the shear modulus. The stress sensitivity is higher in the fault core than in the damage zone, which correlates strongly with the variation in fracture density. These indicate that the stress sensitivity in the fault-controlled rock is attributed to stress-induced fracture deformation, predominantly manifested as volumetric compression deformation. During the geological evolution, differences in tectonic faulting, fluid filling, and compaction within the fault zone contribute to present heterogeneity in fracture density. Finally, our research demonstrates a strong correlation between theoretical prediction results and underground logging, drilling and core data. These findings can help predict the underground fracture distribution and elastic response of carbonate reservoirs controlled by strike-slip faults.

SummaryMarine magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) methods have been routinely applied to survey the crustal and upper mantle electrical resistivity structures beneath the sea floor. In practice, there are inevitably site gaps and contamination by noises in the collected data because of lost ocean bottom electromagnetic (OBEM) receivers, unusable data, and difficulties in deploying instruments near deep trenches. So far, it remains unclear to what degree those factors will lower the resolution and the credibility of marine MT and CSEM inversion models. In this paper, we investigate the individual and combined effects of site gaps and data noises on the inversion models through synthetic analyses based on a simple block resistivity model and a realistic resistivity structure derived from the Mariana Trench. The results suggest that data with a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio can reasonably recover the sub-seafloor structures in the area of data gap. The transverse electric (TE) mode and tipper data from the MT method are much more sensitive to the structure near the site gap. The joint inversion of MT and CSEM data would improve the model's resolution at the site gap area. The inversion of data with a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio, for example, 10 per cent, can recover the structures with few artifacts if there is no site gap. But if the site gap and noisy data are combined, even a joint inversion cannot correctly recover the burial depths and geometries of the anomalous bodies beneath the site gap where vertical strips are likely present. To improve the model's resolution and suppress inversion artifacts, we propose constraining part of the model with as much a prior information as possible. Specifically, for a survey in the subduction zone, we could reduce the penalties on the model's smoothness at the upper and low interfaces of the resistive subduction slab, or even fix the resistivity of the resistive slab with the help of other information, if any. The inversion models shown in this paper provide valuable references for the site design before marine MT and CSEM surveys as well as for interpreting real data inversion models that may be subject to the same biases introduced by the site gap and noise.

SummaryWe present the first three-dimensional (3-D) upper-mantle conductivity models obtained by an inversion of the satellite-derived tidally-induced magnetic fields (TIMFs). We primarily use the M2 period, but the potential benefit of the O1 period is also inspected. The inverse-problem solution is found using the recently developed frequency-domain, spherical harmonic-finite element method based on the adjoint approach. We tested two different TIMF data sets derived from the satellite measurements of the Swarm mission and two different regularizations; the solution is either required to be sufficiently smooth or reasonably close to the a-priori 3-D conductivity model WINTERC-e Wd-emax. The reconstructed conductivity models are locally compared with the 1-D conductivity profiles from other studies. If we use one of the available TIMF data sets, the smooth reconstructed model gravitates towards Wd-emax and the TIMF-adjusted Wd-emax model is closer to the reference conductivity profiles than the original Wd-emax model. Finally, we use the obtained 3-D conductivity distributions to calculate the corresponding 3-D water distribution in the upper mantle using thermodynamical and compositional models coupled to the electrical-conductivity laboratory measurement of individual mantle constituents.

SummaryThe harmonic variation of the P-to-S converted phases (i.e. Pms) observed from receiver functions (RFs) includes information on crustal azimuthal anisotropy. However, this harmonic analysis is easily influenced by low-quality RF traces, and the measurements may be misleading. Here, we propose an improved method, named the Iterative Weighted Least-Square method (IWLS), to extract the splitting parameters of the crust and simultaneously retrieve the two-lobed and four-lobed components of back-azimuthal variation. The quality and weights of different RF traces are estimated properly in the IWLS method. The weight function is related to the sharpness of the Pms phase and the smearing of other signals. We conduct many synthetic tests, and the IWLS method provides stable measurements for poor back-azimuthal coverage, strong noise, weak P-wave azimuthal anisotropy, and multiple anisotropic layers. We apply the IWLS method to observational data from two temporary stations on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and North China Craton, respectively. The measurements are comparable to previous results and provide insight into crustal deformation.

SummaryThe resolution of velocity models obtained by tomography varies due to multiple factors and variables, such as the inversion approach, ray coverage, data quality, etc. Combining velocity models with different resolutions can enable more accurate ground motion simulations (e.g., Yeh and Olsen, 2023). Toward this goal, we present a novel methodology to fuse multiresolution seismic velocity maps with probabilistic graphical models (PGMs). The PGMs provide segmentation results, corresponding to various velocity intervals, in seismic velocity models with different resolutions. Further, by considering physical information (such as ray-path density), we introduce physics-informed probabilistic graphical models (PIPGMs). These models provide data-driven relations between subdomains with low (LR) and high (HR) resolutions. Transferring (segmented) distribution information from the HR regions enhances the details in the LR regions by solving a maximum likelihood problem with prior knowledge from HR models. When updating areas bordering HR and LR regions, a patch-scanning policy is adopted to consider local patterns and avoid sharp boundaries. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed PGM fusion method, we tested the fusion approach on both a synthetic checkerboard model and a fault zone structure imaged from the 2019 Ridgecrest, CA, earthquake sequence. The Ridgecrest fault zone image consists of a shallow (top 1 km) high-resolution shear-wave velocity model obtained from ambient noise tomography, which is embedded into the coarser Statewide California Earthquake Center Community Velocity Model version S4.26-M01. The model efficacy is underscored by the deviation between observed and calculated travel times along the boundaries between HR and LR regions, 38 per cent less than obtained by conventional Gaussian interpolation. The proposed PGM fusion method can merge any gridded multiresolution velocity model, a valuable tool for computational seismology and ground motion estimation.

SummaryThis study analyzed seismicity in southwestern China (1 January 2008 to 30 June 2021) using the earthquake catalog compiled by the China Earthquake Network Center and four different space–time Epidemic-Type Aftershock Sequence models: the 2D point-source (PS) model, the 2D finite-source (FS) model, the 3D PS model, and the 3D FS model. Our objective was to understand the features of the background seismicity and the patterns of earthquake clusters to better evaluate the regional seismic hazard. We carefully investigated the aftershock sequences that followed 7 of the 10 MS≥6.0 earthquakes that have struck this region since the occurrence of the 2008 Wenchuan MS8.0 earthquake (i.e., the Panzhihua (31 August 2008; MS6.0), Yaoan (9 July 2009; MS6.0), Lushan (20 April 2013; MS7.0), Ludian (3 August 2014; MS6.5), Jinggu (7 October 2014; MS6.6), Kangding (11 November 2014; MS6.3), and Yangbi (21 May 2021; MS6.4) earthquakes). Our results revealed the following. (1) The background seismicity level for natural earthquakes is usually stable but can experience sudden change due to major events, such as the 2014 Ludian MS6.5, and the 2014 Jinggu MS6.6 events. Such changes in the background rate can reach 50%. (2) Reservoir-induced earthquakes substantially increase the level of regional seismicity, indicating that they cannot be ignored when analyzing natural seismicity and evaluating regional earthquake hazards. (3) Events triggered directly by the mainshock occur mostly in regions adjacent to areas with large coseismic slip, showing a pattern complementary to the mainshock ruptures.

SummaryThe Pohang Basin sustained the most extensive seismic damage in the history of instrumental recording in Korea due to the 2017 MW 5.5 earthquake. The pattern of damage shows marked differences from a radial distribution, suggesting important contributions by local site effects. Our understanding of these site effects and their role in generating seismic damage within the study area remains incomplete, which indicates the need for a thorough exploration of subsurface information, including the thickness of soil to bedrock and basin geometry, in the Pohang Basin. We measured the depth to bedrock in the Pohang Basin using dense ambient noise measurements conducted at 698 sites. We propose a model of basin geometry based on depths and dominant frequencies derived from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) of microtremor at 698 sites. Most microseismic measurements exhibit one or more clear HVSR peak(s), implying one or more strong impedance contrast(s), which are presumed to represent the interface between the basement and overlying basin-fill sediments at each measurement site. The ambient seismic noise induces resonance at frequencies as low as 0.32 Hz. The relationship between resonance frequency and bedrock depth was derived using data from 27 boreholes to convert the dominant frequencies measured at stations adjacent to the boreholes into corresponding depths to the strong impedance contrast. The relationship was then applied to the dominant frequencies to estimate the depth to bedrock over the whole study area. Maps of resonance frequency and the corresponding depth to bedrock for the study area show that the greatest depths to bedrock are in the coastal area. The maps also reveal lower fundamental frequencies in the area west of the Gokgang Fault. The results indicate a more complex basin structure than previously proposed based on a limited number of direct borehole observations and surface geology. The maps and associated profiles across different parts of the study area show pronounced changes in bedrock depth near inferred blind faults proposed in previous studies, suggesting that maps of bedrock depth based on the HVSR method can be used to infer previously unknown features, including concealed or blind faults that are not observed at the surface.

SummaryDynamic topography is defined as the deflection of Earth's surface due to the convecting mantle. ASPECT (Advanced Solver for Planetary Evolution, Convection, and Tectonics) is a continually evolving, finite element code that uses modern numerical methods to investigate problems in mantle convection. With ASPECT version 2.0.0 a consistent boundary flux (CBF) algorithm, used to calculate radial stresses at the model boundaries, was implemented into the release version of ASPECT. It has been shown that the CBF algorithm improves the accuracy of dynamic topography calculations by approximately one order of magnitude. We aim to evaluate the influence of the CBF algorithm and explore the geophysical implications of these improved estimates of dynamic topography changes along the East Coast of the United States. We constrain our initial temperature conditions using the tomography models SAVANI, S40RTS, and TX2008 and combine them with a corresponding radial viscosity profile (2 for TX2008), and 2 different boundary conditions for a total of 8 experiments. We perform simulations with and without the CBF method, which takes place during post-processing and does not affect the velocity solution. Our dynamic topography calculations are spatially consistent in both approaches, but generally indicate an increase in magnitude using the CBF method (an average ∼15 per cent and ∼76 per cent absolute change in present-day instantaneous and rate of change of dynamic topography, respectively). This enhanced accuracy in dynamic topography calculations can be used to better evaluate the effects of mantle convection on surface processes including vertical land motions, sea-level changes, and sedimentation and erosion. We explore results along the US East Coast, where a Pliocene shoreline has been deformed by dynamic topography change. An increased accuracy in estimates of dynamic topography can improve Pleistocene and Pliocene sea-level reconstructions, which allow for a better understanding of past sea-level changes and ice sheet stability.

SummaryThermal convection in planetary solid (rocky or icy) mantles sometimes occurs adjacent to liquid layers with a phase equilibrium at the boundary. The possibility of a solid-liquid phase change at the boundary has been shown to greatly help convection in the solid layer in spheres and plane layers and a similar study is performed here for a spherical shell with a radius-independent central gravity subject to a destabilising temperature difference. The solid-liquid phase change is considered as a mechanical boundary condition and applies at either or both horizontal boundaries. The boundary condition is controlled by a phase change number, Φ, that compares the time-scale for latent heat exchange in the liquid side to that necessary to build a topography at the boundary. We introduce a numerical tool, available at https://github.com/amorison/stablinrb, to carry out the linear stability analysis of the studied setup as well as other similar situations (cartesian geometry, arbitrary temperature and viscosity depth-dependent profiles). Decreasing Φ makes the phase change more efficient, which reduces the importance of viscous resistance associated to the boundary and makes the critical Rayleigh number for the onset of convection smaller and the wavelength of the critical mode larger, for all values of the radii ratio, γ. In particular, for a phase change boundary condition at the top or at both boundaries, the mode with a spherical harmonics degree of 1 is always favoured for Φ ≲ 10−1. Such a mode is also favoured for a phase change at the bottom boundary for small (γ ≲ 0.45) or large (γ ≳ 0.75) radii ratio. Such dynamics could help explaining the hemispherical dichotomy observed in the structure of many planetary objects.

SummaryWe conduct a thorough analysis of seismic and acoustic data purported to be from the so-called ‘Interstellar Meteor’ which entered the Earth’s atmosphere off the coast of Papua New Guinea on 2014-01-08. Previous work had suggested that this meteor may have been caused by an alien spacecraft burning up in the atmosphere. We conclude that both previously-reported seismic signals are spurious - one has characteristics suggesting a local vehicular-traffic based origin; whilst the other is statistically indistinguishable from the background noise. As such, previously-reported localisations based on this data are unreliable. Analysis of acoustic data provides a best fit location estimate which is very far (∼170 km) from the reported fireball location. Accordingly, we conclude that material recovered from the seafloor and purported to be from this event is almost certainly unrelated to it, and is likely of more mundane (non-interstellar) origin.

SummaryIn this study, we propose a systematic and effective method, that is, an extended version of the generalized reflection/transmission (R/T) coefficient method, for computing the phase-velocity (${c}_r$) dispersion curves, attenuation coefficient ($\alpha $) curves, and eigenfunctions of both Rayleigh and Love waves as well as the ellipticity of Rayleigh waves in layered viscoelastic-vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) media. The numerical scheme of combining the root-searching method with the local optimization method is designed for determining the complex-valued modal solutions (i.e., complex wavenumber $k = {\omega / {{c_{r}} - i\alpha }}$) of surface waves. The near-surface sedimentary geological environment is taken as the model example because it is typical viscoelastic-VTI media. Besides the anisotropic-viscoelastic (AV) media, our algorithm can also compute surface waves in isotropic-elastic (IE), isotropic-viscoelastic (IV), and anisotropic-elastic (AE) media by resetting the corresponding parameters. Using the six-layer half-space models and in these four media, we verify the correctness of our algorithm by benchmarking the modal solutions against those from other methods. In the four-layer half-space model, by comparing the results of IE, IV, AE, and AV media, we analyze the effects of velocity anisotropy, viscoelasticity and attenuation anisotropy on the dispersion and attenuation characteristics of both Rayleigh and Love waves in detail. Our study can provide a theoretical basis and useful tool for surface wave imaging considering the anisotropy and/or viscoelasticity of the medium, which has the potential to better investigate the solid Earth's internal structure.

SummaryThe amplitude, frequency and polarization of ground motion at the surface can be affected by the local geology. While low-velocity sediments and fill can amplify ground motions in certain frequency ranges, the low velocities found in fault zones can also produce prominent wavelets. In this paper we provide further evidence that polarization of ground motion can be affected by the geologic fabric in fault zones that have sustained significant brittle deformation. Aside from the well-known effect of fault-trapped waves in the low-velocity zone with polarization azimuths parallel to the fault strike, the effect of stiffness anisotropy was recently recognized with polarization azimuths at high-angle to the fault strike and orthogonal to the locally predominant fracture field in the fault damage zone. To clarify further such features, we investigate directional amplification effects across the San Jacinto fault zone in Southern California using seismic data recorded by permanent seismic stations and dense across-fault arrays. We observe three main polarization trends. The first trend parallel to the fault strike is ascribed to fault-trapped waves along the low-velocity zone, in agreement with several studies in the last decade in the same region. The second and third trends are orthogonal to the orientation of R and T Riedel planes, respectively. They are related to the stiffness anisotropy in densely fractured rocks in the damage zone, which are more compliant orthogonal to their fractures. At some locations the two effects are superimposed, occurring in different and distinct frequency ranges. Directional amplification at rock sites can be important for expected ground motion and seismic hazard. However, in seismic engineering the current prescriptions of seismic codes do not account for amplification effects at rock sites at frequencies of engineering interest.

SummaryReducing the gap between geophysical inversion and geological interpretation can be achieved by integrating geological modelling into geophysical inversion. For this, we use a generalised, iterative level-set gravity inversion scheme in which geological units are deformed automatically. During the inversion process, a regularisation term is defined using automated geological modelling to account for geological data and principles. This provides model-dependent geological constraints and encourages geological realism throughout inversion. To alleviate the dependence on the starting model and consider the possibility of features unseen by direct observations, an automated geophysical data-driven method is proposed to insert new rock units in the model. Uncertainty quantification is achieved through the null space shuttle algorithm, which is used to generate a series of alternative models that are consistent with geophysical data. This methodology is applied to assess the uncertainties of a pre-existing 3D crustal-scale geological model of the Western Pyrenean orogeny (France, Spain). The area is characterized by a positive gravity anomaly generally attributed to the presence of a shallow mantle body. The impact of variations in shape and density of key crustal and mantle features is investigated. Different scenarios are explored in 3D space to produce a range of viable, relatively simple crustal scale models of the area. This application demonstrates the capability and potential of this approach to evaluate alternative interpretations of geophysical data. The results show the plausibility of scenarios with a shorter subducted Iberian lower crust and a denser Axial Zone than in the pre-existing model.

SummaryThe 2022 Har Lake earthquake sequence, which began in January 2022 and lasted for ∼70 days, jolted the Har Lake area, which is located in the western Qilian Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Two Mw>5.5 earthquakes occurred during the earthquake sequence, among which the March 25 Mw5.8 event is considered the largest event recorded in the area. However, determining the seismogenic faults of the earthquake sequence, as well as the detailed rupture features, is difficult due to the lack of geological data and near-field seismological observations. In this study, we use Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data to obtain the coseismic deformation field, identify possible ruptured faults and associated fault geometries, and further estimate detailed coseismic slip models of the two Mw>5.5 earthquakes. The results show that the January 23 Mw5.6 earthquake (Earthquake A) occurred on a N15°W-trending dextral-slip fault with a dip angle of ∼61°. For the March 25 Mw5.8 earthquake (Earthquake B), the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data can be described by either an ∼N–S-trending dextral-slip fault or an ∼E–W-trending sinistral-slip fault. The ∼N–S-trending fault better describes the aftershock distribution, while the ∼E–W-trending model is more consistent with the regional geological setting. We suggest that the complex coseismic ruptures in the multiple-fault system are driven by widespread NE–SW-trending compression in the western Qilian Shan. This study demonstrates the importance of integrating geodetic and seismological observations to capture the full complexity of moderate earthquakes and further suggests potential seismic hazards in the Har Lake area.