On the seismic noise wavefield in a weakly dissipative layered Earth

Abstract

Proceeding on the assumption that the seismic noise wavefield mainly consists of surface waves generated by a random distribution of independent, point-like and harmonic sources, we modelled a set of relationships that allows us to interpret empirical H/V and apparent dispersion curves in terms of the dynamic properties of a viscoelastic layered Earth. This formalization can be used to determine the effect of material damping on the expected noise wavefield in cases where the sources are relatively distant from the receivers and where the frequencies taken into account are higher than the fundamental resonance frequency of the local subsoil. Numerical experiments indicate that such effects are significant on the H/V ratio curve, whereas the apparent dispersion curve appears to be less strongly influenced by damping. This finding opens new perspectives for the use of noise measurements to infer the in situ anelastic properties of subsoil from passive seismic measurements made at the surface.