Application of Horizontal-to-vertical Spectral Ratio with a Dense Linear Array on Prospecting Urban Underground Active Faults: a Case in The Mingguang City, Anhui Province

Abstract

Abstract Reliable knowledge of sedimentary structures is beneficial for the study of active faults covered by sediments and can also provide important information for seismic hazard assessment, earthquake emergency response and urban planning. Based on the dense seismic array with a spacing of ∼ 60 m between stations and a length of ∼ 8 km, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) curves were obtained at 133 stations with the ambient noise, and the two-dimensional sedimentary structures of the Quaternary and Neogene strata were imaged over two main faults of the Tanlu fault zone in the eastern Jiashan Basin by frequency-depth conversion. The variations (∼ 130 m) in the depth of the Quaternary and Neogene sedimentary basement directly beneath the fault zone agree well with the spatial characteristics of the fault revealed by the shallow seismic reflection profile with active sources at the same locations.