G377 Lecture 7

1, the seismic record of the N. Korea Nuke test on 10/9/2006; 2, seismic wave energy partitioning at an interface

Vernons preliminary interpretation: I am guessing the first two phases are P phases, Possibly Pn and Pg. The Pn phase is traveling just beneath the Moho at approx 8 km /sec, giving a distance from station MDJ of 424 km for the origin time reported. The Pg phase, closely following Pn is traveling at approx 6-6.5 km/sec and is confined to a crustal path. More intense scattering in the crust compared to the upper mantle makes the Pg coda a little better developed and more complex than the Pn coda. Lg (multiply critically reflected SmS phases in the crust or Rayleigh/Love modes confined to the crust will arrive about 70 sec after Pn and appear around 01:37, best developed on the North and South components of MDJ. Since the P phases look so much better developed than Lg, this definitely looks like an explosion. The ratio Pg/Lg is commonly used as a discriminant for explosions versus earthquakes, with Pg/Lg higher for explosions. There is a suggestion of a longer period fundamental mode Rayleigh wave (Rg phase) around 01:37:20. The Rg observation is not surprising for a near surface event, which should be good in exciting a fundamental mode Rayleigh wave. The Rg phase should be visible at MDJ, provided there are no substantial blocking structures between the event and the station, i.e., if the crust is relatively uniform in thickness between N. Korea and MDJ.

Surface wave

A surface wave is a seismic seismic wave that is trapped near the surface of the earth.

Rayleigh wave
Rayleigh waves

A Rayleigh wave is a seismic surface wave causing the ground to shake in an elliptical motion, with no transverse, or perpendicular, motion.

Love waves (Image courtesy of European Center for Geodynamics and Seismology)

Love wave

A Love wave is a surface wave having a horizontal motion that is transverse (or perpendicular) to the direction the wave is traveling.

Cartoon showing the basic concept of the Lg-wave simulation. Lg-wave is a guided wave that can be trapped in the crustal wave-guide and propagated for thousands of kilometers. It is a useful phase for investigating the seismic sources, as well as character the path effects. Various types of wave-guide features will affect the propagation of the Lg-wave. Some of these features shown in this figure including irregular topography, uneven Moho discontinuity, scatterings of various scales through the wave-guide, intrinsic and scattering attenuations, etc. Elastic screen method has been designed to handle Lg-wave propagations in realistic crustal wave-guides.

The Moment Tensor Representation of Seismic Sources

(McCamy et al, 1962)

Literature Reading: Three important papers on the energy partitioning at an interface: 1, Keith McCamy, Robert P. Meyer, and Thomas J. Smith: Generally applicable solutions of Zoeppritz' amplitude equations, BSSA, 52: 923-955, 1962. 2, R. D. Tooley, T. W. Spencer, and H. F. Sagori, Reflection and transmission of plane compressional waves, Geophysics, 30(4), 552570, 1965. 3, L. R. Denham, On: Reflection and transmission of plane compressional waves by R. D. Tooley, T. W. Spencer, and H. F. Sagori, (Geophysics, 30, 552, April, 1965). Geophysics, 49, 2195, 1984. (a correction of Tooley et als 1965 paper of one figure). The pdf files of these 3 papers are attached.