Single-point dispersion measurement of surface waves combining translation, rotation and strain in weakly anisotropic media: theory

Abstract

SUMMARY A new approach is proposed for measuring the dispersion relation of surface waves in weakly anisotropic media using a single station, which consists of translational displacement and rotation or strain. The azimuth-dependent surface wave dispersion curve can be directly obtained by using the amplitude ratio of translational displacement to rotation or strain. Using observations from earthquakes from a variety of azimuths allows us to characterize the anisotropy of subsurface media. The amplitude ratio gives the localized azimuth-dependent dispersion relations of the formation beneath a receiver without requiring knowledge of the source or structure along the path. The theory shows that in anisotropic media the coupled quasi-Rayleigh wave and quasi-Love wave will result in elliptically polarized rotational motions. In addition, rotational motion information allows the determination of backazimuth even in general anisotropic media. We carry out numerical experiments, investigate the effects of noise and degree of anisotropy and demonstrate the potential for field studies.