Time-lapse 3-D seismic imaging of shallow subsurface contaminant flow.

PubMed

McKenna, J; Sherlock, D; Evans, B

2001-12-01

This paper presents a physical modelling study outlining a technique whereby buoyant contaminant flow within water-saturated unconsolidated sand was remotely monitored utilizing the time-lapse 3-D (TL3-D) seismic response. The controlled temperature and pressure conditions, along with the high level of acquisition repeatability attainable using sandbox physical models, allow the TL3-D seismic response to pore fluid movement to be distinguished from all other effects. TL3-D seismic techniques are currently being developed to monitor hydrocarbon reserves within producing reservoirs in an endeavour to improve overall recovery. However, in many ways, sandbox models under atmospheric conditions more accurately simulate the shallow subsurface than petroleum reservoirs. For this reason, perhaps the greatest application for analogue sandbox modelling is to improve our understanding of shallow groundwater and environmental flow mechanisms. Two fluid flow simulations were conducted whereby air and kerosene were injected into separate water-saturated unconsolidated sand models. In both experiments, a base 3-D seismic volume was recorded and compared with six later monitor surveys recorded while the injection program was conducted. Normal incidence amplitude and P-wave velocity information were extracted from the TL3-D seismic data to provide visualization of contaminant migration. Reflection amplitudes displayed qualitative areal distribution of fluids when a suitable impedance contrast existed between pore fluids. TL3-D seismic reflection tomography can potentially monitor the change in areal distribution of fluid contaminants over time, indicating flow patterns. However, other research and this current work have not established a quantifiable relationship between either normal reflection amplitudes and attenuation and fluid saturation. Generally, different pore fluids will have unique seismic velocities due to differences in compressibility and density. The predictable

Seismic Hazard Maps for Seattle, Washington, Incorporating 3D Sedimentary Basin Effects, Nonlinear Site Response, and Rupture Directivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frankel, Arthur D.; Stephenson, William J.; Carver, David L.; Williams, Robert A.; Odum, Jack K.; Rhea, Susan

2007-01-01

This report presents probabilistic seismic hazard maps for Seattle, Washington, based on over 500 3D simulations of ground motions from scenario earthquakes. These maps include 3D sedimentary basin effects and rupture directivity. Nonlinear site response for soft-soil sites of fill and alluvium was also applied in the maps. The report describes the methodology for incorporating source and site dependent amplification factors into a probabilistic seismic hazard calculation. 3D simulations were conducted for the various earthquake sources that can affect Seattle: Seattle fault zone, Cascadia subduction zone, South Whidbey Island fault, and background shallow and deep earthquakes. The maps presented in this document used essentially the same set of faults and distributed-earthquake sources as in the 2002 national seismic hazard maps. The 3D velocity model utilized in the simulations was validated by modeling the amplitudes and waveforms of observed seismograms from five earthquakes in the region, including the 2001 M6.8 Nisqually earthquake. The probabilistic seismic hazard maps presented here depict 1 Hz response spectral accelerations with 10%, 5%, and 2% probabilities of exceedance in 50 years. The maps are based on determinations of seismic hazard for 7236 sites with a spacing of 280 m. The maps show that the most hazardous locations for this frequency band (around 1 Hz) are soft-soil sites (fill and alluvium) within the Seattle basin and along the inferred trace of the frontal fault of the Seattle fault zone. The next highest hazard is typically found for soft-soil sites in the Duwamish Valley south of the Seattle basin. In general, stiff-soil sites in the Seattle basin exhibit higher hazard than stiff-soil sites outside the basin. Sites with shallow bedrock outside the Seattle basin have the lowest estimated hazard for this frequency band.

High-resolution 3D seismic imaging of a pull-apart basin in the Gulf of Cadiz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crutchley, G.; Berndt, C.; Klaeschen, D.; Gutscher, M.

2009-12-01

In 2006, high-resolution 3D seismic data were acquired in the Gulf of Cadiz and the Mediterranean Sea aboard the RRS Charles Darwin as part of the HERMES (Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas) project. The P-Cable system, a cost-efficient set-up for fast acquisition of 3D seismic data on 12 single-channel streamers, was utilized to acquire seismic cubes at four different targets. Here, we present results from the second target - a WNW-ESE-oriented pull-apart basin in the southeastern Gulf of Cadiz. Initial processing has included: 1) spatial positioning of each recording channel from GPS data acquired on the outer two channels, 2) improved positioning of shot points and channels from the inversion of first arrival times, 3) application of a swell filter to improve reflection coherency, 4) CDP binning and stacking and 5) migration. The new data confirm that the southeastern Gulf of Cadiz north of the Rharb submarine valley is structurally controlled by numerous strike slip faults that were active until quite recently (within the resolution of the data). Given the location of this basin, between the extensional domain on the upper slope and the compressional toe of the accretionary wedge, we interpret the origin to be gravitational sliding on a detachment layer, possibly containing salt, but at this stage not imaged by our profiles.

NV PFA - Steptoe Valley

DOE Data Explorer

Jim Faulds

2015-10-29

All datasets and products specific to the Steptoe Valley model area. Includes a packed ArcMap project (.mpk), individually zipped shapefiles, and a file geodatabase for the northern Steptoe Valley area; a GeoSoft Oasis montaj project containing GM-SYS 2D gravity profiles along the trace of our seismic reflection lines; a 3D model in EarthVision; spreadsheet of links to published maps; and spreadsheets of well data.

A global database of seismically and non-seismically triggered landslides for 2D/3D numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domej, Gisela; Bourdeau, Céline; Lenti, Luca; Pluta, Kacper

2017-04-01

Landsliding is a worldwide common phenomenon. Every year, and ranging in size from very small to enormous, landslides cause all too often loss of life and disastrous damage to infrastructure, property and the environment. One main reason for more frequent catastrophes is the growth of population on the Earth which entails extending urbanization to areas at risk. Landslides are triggered by a variety and combination of causes, among which the role of water and seismic activity appear to have the most serious consequences. In this regard, seismic shaking is of particular interest since topographic elevation as well as the landslide mass itself can trap waves and hence amplify incoming surface waves - a phenomenon known as "site effects". Research on the topic of landsliding due to seismic and non-seismic activity is extensive and a broad spectrum of methods for modeling slope deformation is available. Those methods range from pseudo-static and rigid-block based models to numerical models. The majority is limited to 2D modeling since more sophisticated approaches in 3D are still under development or calibration. However, the effect of lateral confinement as well as the mechanical properties of the adjacent bedrock might be of great importance because they may enhance the focusing of trapped waves in the landslide mass. A database was created to study 3D landslide geometries. It currently contains 277 distinct seismically and non-seismically triggered landslides spread all around the globe whose rupture bodies were measured in all available details. Therefore a specific methodology was developed to maintain predefined standards, to keep the bias as low as possible and to set up a query tool to explore the database. Besides geometry, additional information such as location, date, triggering factors, material, sliding mechanisms, event chronology, consequences, related literature, among other things are stored for every case. The aim of the database is to enable

P-Cable: New High-Resolution 3D Seismic Acquisition Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planke, Sverre; Berndt, Christian; Mienert, Jürgen; Bünz, Stefan; Eriksen, Frode N.; Eriksen, Ola K.

2010-05-01

We have developed a new cost-efficient technology for acquisition of high-resolution 3D seismic data: the P-Cable system. This technology is very well suited for deep water exploration, site surveys, and studies of shallow gas and fluid migration associated with gas hydrates or leaking reservoirs. It delivers unparalleled 3D seismic images of subsurface sediment architectures. The P-Cable system consists of a seismic cable towed perpendicular to a vessel's steaming direction. This configuration allows us to image an up to 150 m wide swath of the sub-surface for each sail line. Conventional 3D seismic technology relies on several very long streamers (up to 10 km long streamers are common), large sources, and costly operations. In contrast, the P-Cable system is light-weight and fast to deploy from small vessels. Only a small source is required as the system is made for relatively shallow imaging, typically above the first water-bottom multiple. The P-Cable system is particularly useful for acquisition of small 3D cubes, 10-50 km2, in focus areas, rather than extensive mapping of large regions. The rapid deployment and recovery of the system makes it possible to acquire several small cubes (10 to 30 km2) with high-resolution (50-250 Hz) seismic data in during one cruise. The first development of the P-Cable system was a cooperative project achieved by Volcanic Basin Petroleum Research (VBPR), University of Tromsø, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, and industry partners. Field trials using a 12-streamer system were conducted on sites with active fluid-leakage systems on the Norwegian-Barents-Svalbard margin, the Gulf of Cadiz, and the Mediterranean. The second phase of the development introduced digital streamers. The new P-Cable2 system also includes integrated tow and cross cables for power and data transmission and improved doors to spread the larger cross cable. This digital system has been successfully used during six cruises by the University of Troms

Advanced Reservoir Characterization and Development through High-Resolution 3C3D Seismic and Horizontal Drilling: Eva South Marrow Sand Unit, Texas County, Oklahoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wheeler,David M.; Miller, William A.; Wilson, Travis C.

2002-03-11

The Eva South Morrow Sand Unit is located in western Texas County, Oklahoma. The field produces from an upper Morrow sandstone, termed the Eva sandstone, deposited in a transgressive valley-fill sequence. The field is defined as a combination structural stratigraphic trap; the reservoir lies in a convex up -dip bend in the valley and is truncated on the west side by the Teepee Creek fault. Although the field has been a successful waterflood since 1993, reservoir heterogeneity and compartmentalization has impeded overall sweep efficiency. A 4.25 square mile high-resolution, three component three-dimensional (3C3D) seismic survey was acquired in order tomore » improve reservoir characterization and pinpoint the optimal location of a new horizontal producing well, the ESU 13-H.« less

Strong Motion Network of Medellín and Aburrá Valley: technical advances, seismicity records and micro-earthquake monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posada, G.; Trujillo, J. C., Sr.; Hoyos, C.; Monsalve, G.

2017-12-01

greater than 3.5 beneath the Aburra Valley, and the neotectonic evidence are limited, so it is expected that this network helps to characterize the seismic hazards.

Characterization of intrabasin faulting and deformation for earthquake hazards in southern Utah Valley, Utah, from high-resolution seismic imaging

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, William J.; Odum, Jack K.; Williams, Robert A.; McBride, John H.; Tomlinson, Iris

2012-01-01

We conducted active and passive seismic imaging investigations along a 5.6-km-long, east–west transect ending at the mapped trace of the Wasatch fault in southern Utah Valley. Using two-dimensional (2D) P-wave seismic reflection data, we imaged basin deformation and faulting to a depth of 1.4 km and developed a detailed interval velocity model for prestack depth migration and 2D ground-motion simulations. Passive-source microtremor data acquired at two sites along the seismic reflection transect resolve S-wave velocities of approximately 200 m/s at the surface to about 900 m/s at 160 m depth and confirm a substantial thickening of low-velocity material westward into the valley. From the P-wave reflection profile, we interpret shallow (100–600 m) bedrock deformation extending from the surface trace of the Wasatch fault to roughly 1.5 km west into the valley. The bedrock deformation is caused by multiple interpreted fault splays displacing fault blocks downward to the west of the range front. Further west in the valley, the P-wave data reveal subhorizontal horizons from approximately 90 to 900 m depth that vary in thickness and whose dip increases with depth eastward toward the Wasatch fault. Another inferred fault about 4 km west of the mapped Wasatch fault displaces horizons within the valley to as shallow as 100 m depth. The overall deformational pattern imaged in our data is consistent with the Wasatch fault migrating eastward through time and with the abandonment of earlier synextensional faults, as part of the evolution of an inferred 20-km-wide half-graben structure within Utah Valley. Finite-difference 2D modeling suggests the imaged subsurface basin geometry can cause fourfold variation in peak ground velocity over distances of 300 m.

Structure of the active rift zone and margins of the northern Imperial Valley from Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livers, A.; Han, L.; Delph, J. R.; White-Gaynor, A. L.; Petit, R.; Hole, J. A.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.

2012-12-01

First-arrival refraction data were used to create a seismic velocity model of the upper crust across the actively rifting northern Imperial Valley and its margins. The densely sampled seismic refraction data were acquired by the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) , which is investigating rift processes in the northern-most rift segment of the Gulf of California extensional province and earthquake hazards at the southern end of the San Andreas Fault system. A 95-km long seismic line was acquired across the northern Imperial Valley, through the Salton Sea geothermal field, parallel to the five Salton Butte volcanoes and perpendicular to the Brawley Seismic Zone and major strike-slip faults. Nineteen explosive shots were recorded with 100 m seismometer spacing across the valley and with 300-500 m spacing into the adjacent ranges. First-arrival travel times were picked from shot gathers along this line and a seismic velocity model was produced using tomographic inversion. Sedimentary basement and seismic basement in the valley are interpreted to be sediment metamorphosed by the very high heat flow. The velocity model shows that this basement to the west of the Brawley Seismic Zone is at ~4-km depth. The basement shallows to ~2-km depth in the active geothermal field and Salton Buttes volcanic field which locally coincide with the Brawley Seismic Zone. At the eastern edge of the geothermal field, the basement drops off again to ~3.5-km depth. The eastern edge of the valley appears to be fault bounded by the along-strike extension of the Sand Hills Fault, an inactive strike-slip fault. The seismic velocities to the east of the fault correspond to metamorphic rock of the Chocolate Mountains, different from the metamorphosed basement in the valley. The western edge of the valley appears to be fault bounded by the active Superstition Hills Fault. To the west of the valley, >4-km deep valley basement extends to the active Superstition Hills Fault. Basement then shallows

Seismic modeling of Earth's 3D structure: Recent advancements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritsema, J.

2008-12-01

Global models of Earth's seismic structure continue to improve due to the growth of seismic data sets, implementation of advanced wave propagations theories, and increased computational power. In my presentation, I will summarize seismic tomography results from the past 5-10 years. I will compare the most recent P and S velocity models, discuss model resolution and model interpretation, and present an, admittedly biased, list of research directions required to develop the next generation 3D models.

Poor boy 3D seismic effort yields South Central Kentucky discovery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanratty, M.

1996-11-04

Clinton County, Ky., is on the eastern flank of the Cincinnati arch and the western edge of the Appalachian basin and the Pine Mountain overthrust. Clinton County has long been known for high volume fractured carbonate wells. The discovery of these fractured reservoir, unfortunately, has historically been serendipitous. The author currently uses 2D seismic and satellite imagery to design 3D high resolution seismic shoots. This method has proven to be the most efficient and is the core of his program. The paper describes exploration methods, seismic acquisition, well data base, and seismic interpretation.

Induced seismicity constraints on subsurface geological structure, Paradox Valley, Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Block, Lisa V.; Wood, Christopher K.; Yeck, William L.; King, Vanessa M.

2015-02-01

Precise relative hypocentres of seismic events induced by long-term fluid injection at the Paradox Valley Unit (PVU) brine disposal well provide constraints on the subsurface geological structure and compliment information available from deep seismic reflection and well data. We use the 3-D spatial distribution of the hypocentres to refine the locations, strikes, and throws of subsurface faults interpre­ted previously from geophysical surveys and to infer the existence of previously unidentified subsurface faults. From distinct epicentre lineations and focal mechanism trends, we identify a set of conjugate fracture orientations consistent with shear-slip reactivation of late-Palaeozoic fractures over a widespread area, as well as an additional fracture orientation present only near the injection well. We propose simple Mohr-Coulomb fracture models to explain these observations. The observation that induced seismicity preferentially occurs along one of the identified conjugate fracture orientations can be explained by a rotation in the direction of the regional maximum compressive stress from the time when the fractures were formed to the present. Shear slip along the third fracture orientation observed near the injection well is inconsistent with the current regional stress field and suggests a local rotation of the horizontal stresses. The detailed subsurface model produced by this analysis provides important insights for anticipating spatial patterns of future induced seismicity and for evaluation of possible additional injection well sites that are likely to be seismically and hydrologically isolated from the current well. In addition, the interpreted fault patterns provide constraints for estimating the maximum magnitude earthquake that may be induced, and for building geomechanical models to simulate pore pressure diffusion, stress changes and earthquake triggering.

2D - 3D high resolution seismic survey on the Sea of Marmara - Western High

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saritas, H.; Cifci, G.; Géli, L.; Thomas, Y.; Marsset, B.; Rochat, A.; Westbrook, G. K.; Ker, S.; Atgin, O.; Akhun ćoşkun, S. D.; Grall, C.; Henr, P.; Gürçay, S.; Okay, S.; ćoşkun, S.; Özkan, Ö.; Barın, B.

2012-04-01

In the Sea of Marmara the main strand of the NAF is made up of the Ganos (15km long), Central Marmara (150 km), and North Boundary (45 km) fault segment (Okay et al., 2000). The Central Marmara Fault crosses over The Western High which is located between Tekirdag and Central Marmara Basins. The Western High and Cinarcik Basin is one of the major regions of geological interest which is the area close to the NAF where evidence of gas hydrates and gas escapes have been observed during previous scientific cruises. To understand movement of the NAF and origin of the gas , collecting data was focused on these areas by the latter cruises. It started with TAMAM (Turkish-American Marmara Multichannel) cruise in July 2008 by R/V Koca Piri Reis which belongs to Dokuz Eylul University , and after that it continued with MARMESONET (Marmara Demonstration Mission Program supported by European Seafloor Observatory Network) in December 2009 by R/V Le Suroit which belongs to IFREMER. This cruise consisted of two leg; leg-1 was about collecting multibeam and AUV data, Leg-2 was about collecting High Resolution 3D Seismic data. The last cruise PirMarmara was carried out in June 2010 by R/V Koca Piri Reis , its aim was that collecting 2D High Resolution Seismic Data .These projects are grouped in ESONET MARMARA-DM Project. 3D seismic data provide detailed information about fault distribution and subsurface structures. Computer-based interpretation and display of 3D seismic data allow for more thorough analysis than 2D seismic data. The objectives of this survey are; find gas strata and gas hydrate formation location in the western high, geological description of this area, understand tectonical movement related to dextral strike slip North Anatolian fault, focus on the mud volcano in which close to NAF, find gas hydrate and origin of the existing gas , and location of the gas escaping, investigate the creation of the Marmara Sea concerning with Western High. Integrate good velocity

Seismic-refraction study of suspected drift-filled bedrock valleys in Ramsey County, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, D.G.

1985-01-01

A drift-filled bedrock valley was thought to incise the St. Peter aquifer to an altitude between 770 and 800 feet above sea level at the Koppers site. The interpretation of a seismic profile just east of the Koppers site is not conclusive, but suggests that a bedrock valley may be present near the middle of the line. The interpretation of a second seismic profile across the westward extension of the same suspected valley also is not conclusive, but suggests that a bedrock valley may be present at the north end of the line. The optimal field layout for each line at the site (longer shot offsets) could not be obtained because of limited space available in the densely developed residential neighborhoods.

Advanced computational tools for 3-D seismic analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barhen, J.; Glover, C.W.; Protopopescu, V.A.

1996-06-01

The global objective of this effort is to develop advanced computational tools for 3-D seismic analysis, and test the products using a model dataset developed under the joint aegis of the United States` Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and the European Association of Exploration Geophysicists (EAEG). The goal is to enhance the value to the oil industry of the SEG/EAEG modeling project, carried out with US Department of Energy (DOE) funding in FY` 93-95. The primary objective of the ORNL Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) is to spearhead the computational innovations techniques that would enable a revolutionary advancemore » in 3-D seismic analysis. The CESAR effort is carried out in collaboration with world-class domain experts from leading universities, and in close coordination with other national laboratories and oil industry partners.« less

Constraining Subsurface Structure and Composition Using Seismic Refraction Surveys of Proglacial Valleys in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glas, R. L.; Lautz, L.; McKenzie, J. M.; Mark, B. G.; Baker, E. A.; Aubry-Wake, C.; Somers, L. D.; Wigmore, O.

2015-12-01

As tropical glaciers rapidly recede in response to climate change, the storage and discharge of groundwater will play an increasing role in regulating river baseflow, particularly during the dry season, when stream flow is currently sustained predominantly by glacial melt. Little is understood regarding the hydrogeologic processes controlling base flow characteristics of low-gradient proglacial valleys of the Cordillera Blanca in Northwestern Peru, which has the world's highest density of tropical glaciers. To better understand the processes of groundwater storage and discharge in proglacial meadows, we completed seismic refraction surveys in three representative valleys of the Cordillera Blanca range: the Quilcayhuanca, Yanamarey, and Pachacoto valleys. The locations of survey transects were chosen based on locations of previous sediment core sampling, GPR lines, and quantification of groundwater-surface water interaction derived from dye and temperature tracing experiments. The seismic surveys consisted of 48 vertical component geophones with 2.5 m spacing. Across the three representative valleys a total of 15 surveys were conducted, covering a distance of 1800 m in cross, down, and oblique-valley directions. Preliminary interpretation of the seismic refraction data indicates a maximum imaging depth of 16 m below land surface, and a transition from glacio-lacustrine sediments to buried saturated talus at a depth of 6 m in the Quilcayhuanca valley. The organic-rich glacio-lacustrine sediments in the Yanamarey valley have seismic velocities ranging from 300 to 800 m/s and are >16 m in thickness at mid- valley. Weathered metasedimentary bedrock in the Pachacoto valley was imaged at ~5 m below the valley surface, exhibiting a p-wave velocity of 3400 m/s. The knowledge of hydrogeologic structure derived from seismic refraction surveys will provide crucial boundary conditions for future groundwater models of the valleys of the Cordillera Blanca.

Geomorphological relationships through the use of 2-D seismic reflection data, Lidar, and aerial imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alesce, Meghan Elizabeth

Barrier Islands are crucial in protecting coastal environments. This study focuses on Dauphin Island, Alabama, located within the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Barrier Island complex. It is one of many islands serving as natural protection for NGOM ecosystems and coastal cities. The NGOM barrier islands formed at 4 kya in response to a decrease in rate of sea level rise. The morphology of these islands changes with hurricanes, anthropogenic activity, and tidal and wave action. This study focuses on ancient incised valleys and and the impact on island morphology on hurricane breaches. Using high frequency 2-D seismic reflection data four horizons, including the present seafloor, were interpreted. Subaerial portions of Dauphin Island were imaged using Lidar data and aerial imagery over a ten-year time span, as well as historical maps. Historical shorelines of Dauphin Island were extracted from aerial imagery and historical maps, and were compared to the location of incised valleys seen within the 2-D seismic reflection data. Erosion and deposition volumes of Dauphin Island from 1998 to 2010 (the time span covering hurricanes Ivan and Katrina) in the vicinity of Katrina Cut and Pelican Island were quantified using Lidar data. For the time period prior to Hurricane Ivan an erosional volume of 46,382,552 m3 and depositional volume of 16,113.6 m3 were quantified from Lidar data. The effects of Hurricane Ivan produced a total erosion volume of 4,076,041.5 m3. The erosional and depositional volumes of Katrina Cut being were 7,562,068.5 m3 and 510,936.7 m3, respectively. More volume change was found within Pelican Pass. For the period between hurricanes Ivan and Katrina the erosion volume was 595,713.8 m3. This was mostly located within Katrina Cut. Total deposition for the same period, including in Pelican Pass, was 15,353,961 m3. Hurricane breaches were compared to ancient incised valleys seen within the 2-D seismic reflection results. Breaches from hurricanes from 1849

Triggered deformation and seismic activity under Mammoth Mountain in long Valley caldera by the 3 November 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnston, M.J.S.; Prejean, S.G.; Hill, D.P.

2004-01-01

The 3 November 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake triggered deformational offsets and microseismicity under Mammoth Mountain (MM) on the rim of Long Valley caldera, California, some 3460 km from the earthquake. Such strain offsets and microseismicity were not recorded at other borehole strain sites along the San Andreas fault system in California. The Long Valley offsets were recorded on borehole strainmeters at three sites around the western part of the caldera that includes Mammoth Mountain - a young volcano on the southwestern rim of the caldera. The largest recorded strain offsets were -0.1 microstrain at PO on the west side of MM, 0.05 microstrain at MX to the southeast of MM, and -0.025 microstrain at BS to the northeast of MM with negative strain extensional. High sample rate strain data show initial triggering of the offsets began at 22:30 UTC during the arrival of the first Rayleigh waves from the Alaskan earthquake with peak-to-peak dynamic strain amplitudes of about 2 microstrain corresponding to a stress amplitude of about 0.06 MPa. The strain offsets grew to their final values in the next 10 min. The associated triggered seismicity occurred beneath the south flank of MM and also began at 22:30 UTC and died away over the next 15 min. This relatively weak seismicity burst included some 60 small events with magnitude all less than M = 1. While poorly constrained, these strain observations are consistent with triggered slip and intrusive opening on a north-striking normal fault centered at a depth of 8 km with a moment of l016 N m, or the equivalent of a M 4.3 earthquake. The cumulative seismic moment for the associated seismicity burst was more than three orders of magnitude smaller. These observations and this model resemble those for the triggered deformation and slip that occurred beneath the north side of MM following the 16 October 1999 M 7.1 Hector Mine, California, earthquake. However, in this case, we see little post-event slip decay reflected in

Identifying High Potential Well Targets with 3D Seismic and Mineralogy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mellors, R. J.

2015-10-30

Seismic reflection the primary tool used in petroleum exploration and production, but use in geothermal exploration is less standard, in part due to cost but also due to the challenges in identifying the highly-permeable zones essential for economic hydrothermal systems [e.g. Louie et al., 2011; Majer, 2003]. Newer technology, such as wireless sensors and low-cost high performance computing, has helped reduce the cost and effort needed to conduct 3D surveys. The second difficulty, identifying permeable zones, has been less tractable so far. Here we report on the use of seismic attributes from a 3D seismic survey to identify and mapmore » permeable zones in a hydrothermal area.« less

Modelling and forecasting 3D-hypocentre seismicity in the Kanto region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yicun; Zhuang, Jiancang; Hirata, Naoshi

2018-04-01

This study analyses the seismicity in the Kanto region by fitting the 2D-epicentre and 3D-hypocentre ETAS models to the JMA catalogue for events above magnitude M4.0. In the 3D ETAS model, the focal depth is assumed to follow the beta distribution. Compared with results from the 2D-epicentre ETAS model, the 3D ETAS model greatly improves the data fitting. In addition, the stochastic reconstruction method is used when validating the results of the 3D ETAS model, with results indicating that the shallow events are more productive and their aftershocks decay slightly faster in the time and epicentre dimensions. We also study the changes of seismicity patterns before and after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. The direct aftershocks of events from the post-Tohoku period are more diffusive in time and epicentre but more concentrated in depth. The seismicity rate increases significantly following the Tohoku earthquake, especially along the interface of the subducting Pacific plate. The curve of cumulative background probabilities for events above M4.0 implies that the background rate decays back to the pre-Tohoku level in about 5 years after the Tohoku earthquake. However, the occurrence rates of smaller events (from M2.0 to M4.0) indicate that the adjustments of local stress field continue at finer scales. Finally, we verify that the 3D model can reproduce the focal depths better than the 2D model and improve the forecasting performance.

3D Modelling of Seismically Active Parts of Underground Faults via Seismic Data Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frantzeskakis, Theofanis; Konstantaras, Anthony

2015-04-01

During the last few years rapid steps have been taken towards drilling for oil in the western Mediterranean sea. Since most of the countries in the region benefit mainly from tourism and considering that the Mediterranean is a closed sea only replenishing its water once every ninety years careful measures are being taken to ensure safe drilling. In that concept this research work attempts to derive a three dimensional model of the seismically active parts of the underlying underground faults in areas of petroleum interest. For that purpose seismic spatio-temporal clustering has been applied to seismic data to identify potential distinct seismic regions in the area of interest. Results have been coalesced with two dimensional maps of underground faults from past surveys and seismic epicentres, having followed careful reallocation processing, have been used to provide information regarding the vertical extent of multiple underground faults in the region of interest. The end product is a three dimensional map of the possible underground location and extent of the seismically active parts of underground faults. Indexing terms: underground faults modelling, seismic data mining, 3D visualisation, active seismic source mapping, seismic hazard evaluation, dangerous phenomena modelling Acknowledgment This research work is supported by the ESPA Operational Programme, Education and Life Long Learning, Students Practical Placement Initiative. References [1] Alves, T.M., Kokinou, E. and Zodiatis, G.: 'A three-step model to assess shoreline and offshore susceptibility to oil spills: The South Aegean (Crete) as an analogue for confined marine basins', Marine Pollution Bulletin, In Press, 2014 [2] Ciappa, A., Costabile, S.: 'Oil spill hazard assessment using a reverse trajectory method for the Egadi marine protected area (Central Mediterranean Sea)', Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 84 (1-2), pp. 44-55, 2014 [3] Ganas, A., Karastathis, V., Moshou, A., Valkaniotis, S., Mouzakiotis

Erosional valleys in the Thaumasia region of Mars: Hydrothermal and seismic origins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanaka, K.L.; Dohm, J.M.; Lias, J.H.; Hare, T.M.

1998-01-01

Analysis of erosional valleys, geologic materials and features, and topography through time in the Thaumasia region of Mars using co-registered digital spatial data sets reveals significant associations that relate to valley origin. Valleys tend to originate (1) on Noachian to Early Hesperian (stages 1 and 2) large volcanoes, (2) within 50-100 km of stages 1 and 2 rift systems, and (3) within 100 km of Noachian (stage 1) impact craters >50 km in diameter. These geologic preferences explain observations of higher valley-source densities (VSDs) in areas of higher elevations and regional slopes (>1??) because the volcanoes, rifts, and craters form high, steep topography or occur in terrain of high relief. Other stage 1 and stage 2 high, steep terrains, however, do not show high VSDs. The tendency for valleys to concentrate near geologic features and the overall low drainage densities in Thaumasia compared to terrestrial surfaces rule out widespread precipitation as a major factor in valley formation (as is proposed in wann, wet climate scenarios) except perhaps during the Early Noachian, for which much of the geologic record has been obliterated. Instead, volcanoes and rifts may indicate the presence of shallow crustal intrusions that could lead to local hydrothermal circulation, melting of ground ice and snow, and groundwater sapping. However, impact-crater melt would provide a heat source at the surface that might drive away water, forming valleys in the process. Post-stage 1 craters mostly have low nearby VSDs, which, for valleys incised in older rocks, suggests burial by e??jecta and, for . younger valleys, may indicate desiccation of near-surface water and deepening of the cryosphere. Later Hesperian and Amazonian (stages 3 and 4) valleys originate within 100-200 km of three young, large impact craters and near rifts systems at Warrego Valle??s and the southern part of Coprates rise. These valleys likely developed when the cryosphere was a couple kilometers or

Seismic structure and segmentation of the axial valley of the Mid-Cayman Spreading Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Avendonk, Harm J. A.; Hayman, Nicholas W.; Harding, Jennifer L.; Grevemeyer, Ingo; Peirce, Christine; Dannowski, Anke

2017-06-01

We report the results of a two-dimensional tomographic inversion of marine seismic refraction data from an array of ocean-bottom seismographs (OBSs), which produced an image of the crustal structure along the axial valley of the ultraslow spreading Mid-Cayman Spreading Center (MCSC). The seismic velocity model shows variations in the thickness and properties of the young oceanic crust that are consistent with the existence of two magmatic-tectonic segments along the 110 km long spreading center. Seismic wave speeds are consistent with exhumed mantle at the boundary between these two segments, but changes in the vertical gradient of seismic velocity suggest that volcanic crust occupies most of the axial valley seafloor along the seismic transect. The two spreading segments both have a low-velocity zone (LVZ) several kilometers beneath the seafloor, which may indicate the presence of shallow melt. However, the northern segment also has low seismic velocities (3 km/s) in a thick upper crustal layer (1.5-2.0 km), which we interpret as an extrusive volcanic section with high porosity and permeability. This segment hosts the Beebe vent field, the deepest known high-temperature black smoker hydrothermal vent system. In contrast, the southern spreading segment has seismic velocities as high as 4.0 km/s near the seafloor. We suggest that the porosity and permeability of the volcanic crust in the southern segment are much lower, thus limiting deep seawater penetration and hydrothermal recharge. This may explain why no hydrothermal vent system has been found in the southern half of the MCSC.

Estimating Strain Accumulation in the New Madrid and Wabash Valley Seismic Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craig, T. J.; Calais, E.

2014-12-01

The mechanical behaviour -- and hence earthquake potential -- of faults in continental interiors is a question of critical importance for the resultant seismic hazard, but no consensus has yet been reached on this controversial topic. The debate has focused on the central and eastern United States, in particular the New Madrid Seismic Zone, struck by three magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes in 1811--1812, and to a lesser extent the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone just to the north. A key aspect of this issue is the rate at which strain is currently accruing on those faults in the plate interior, a quantity that remains debated. Understanding if the present-day strain rates indicate sufficient motion to account for the historical and paleoseismological earthquakes by steady-state fault behaviour, or if strain accumulation is time-dependent in this area, is critical for investigating the causative process driving this seismicity in the plate interior, and how regional strain reflects the interplay between stresses arising from different geological processes. Here we address this issue with an analysis of up to 14 years of continuous GPS data from a network of 200 sites in the central United States centred on the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones. We find that high-quality sites in these regions show motions that are consistently within the 95% confidence limit of zero deformation relative to a rigid background. These results place an upper bound on regional strain accrual of 0.2 mm/yr and 0.5 mm/yr in the New Madrid and Wabash Valley Seismic Zones, respectively. These results, together with increasing evidence for temporal clustering and spatial migration of earthquake sequences in continental interiors, indicate that either tectonic loading rates or fault properties vary with time in the NMSZ and possibly plate-wide.

Walker Ranch 3D seismic images

DOE Data Explorer

Robert J. Mellors

2016-03-01

Amplitude images (both vertical and depth slices) extracted from 3D seismic reflection survey over area of Walker Ranch area (adjacent to Raft River). Crossline spacing of 660 feet and inline of 165 feet using a Vibroseis source. Processing included depth migration. Micro-earthquake hypocenters on images. Stratigraphic information and nearby well tracks added to images. Images are embedded in a Microsoft Word document with additional information. Exact location and depth restricted for proprietary reasons. Data collection and processing funded by Agua Caliente. Original data remains property of Agua Caliente.

Seismic imaging of the metamorphism of young sediment into new crystalline crust in the actively rifting Imperial Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Han, Liang; Hole, John; Stock, Joann; Fuis, Gary S.; Williams, Colin F.; Delph, Jonathan; Davenport, Kathy; Livers, Amanda

2016-01-01

Plate-boundary rifting between transform faults is opening the Imperial Valley of southern California and the rift is rapidly filling with sediment from the Colorado River. Three 65–90 km long seismic refraction profiles across and along the valley, acquired as part of the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project, were analyzed to constrain upper crustal structure and the transition from sediment to underlying crystalline rock. Both first arrival travel-time tomography and frequency-domain full-waveform inversion were applied to provide P-wave velocity models down to ∼7 km depth. The valley margins are fault-bounded, beyond which thinner sediment has been deposited on preexisting crystalline rocks. Within the central basin, seismic velocity increases continuously from ∼1.8 km/s sediment at the surface to >6 km/s crystalline rock with no sharp discontinuity. Borehole data show young sediment is progressively metamorphosed into crystalline rock. The seismic velocity gradient with depth decreases approximately at the 4 km/s contour, which coincides with changes in the porosity and density gradient in borehole core samples. This change occurs at ∼3 km depth in most of the valley, but at only ∼1.5 km depth in the Salton Sea geothermal field. We interpret progressive metamorphism caused by high heat flow to be creating new crystalline crust throughout the valley at a rate comparable to the ≥2 km/Myr sedimentation rate. The newly formed crystalline crust extends to at least 7–8 km depth, and it is shallower and faster where heat flow is higher. Most of the active seismicity occurs within this new crust.

Seismic imaging of the metamorphism of young sediment into new crystalline crust in the actively rifting Imperial Valley, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Liang; Hole, John A.; Stock, Joann M.; Fuis, Gary S.; Williams, Colin F.; Delph, Jonathan R.; Davenport, Kathy K.; Livers, Amanda J.

2016-11-01

Plate-boundary rifting between transform faults is opening the Imperial Valley of southern California and the rift is rapidly filling with sediment from the Colorado River. Three 65-90 km long seismic refraction profiles across and along the valley, acquired as part of the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project, were analyzed to constrain upper crustal structure and the transition from sediment to underlying crystalline rock. Both first arrival travel-time tomography and frequency-domain full-waveform inversion were applied to provide P-wave velocity models down to ˜7 km depth. The valley margins are fault-bounded, beyond which thinner sediment has been deposited on preexisting crystalline rocks. Within the central basin, seismic velocity increases continuously from ˜1.8 km/s sediment at the surface to >6 km/s crystalline rock with no sharp discontinuity. Borehole data show young sediment is progressively metamorphosed into crystalline rock. The seismic velocity gradient with depth decreases approximately at the 4 km/s contour, which coincides with changes in the porosity and density gradient in borehole core samples. This change occurs at ˜3 km depth in most of the valley, but at only ˜1.5 km depth in the Salton Sea geothermal field. We interpret progressive metamorphism caused by high heat flow to be creating new crystalline crust throughout the valley at a rate comparable to the ≥2 km/Myr sedimentation rate. The newly formed crystalline crust extends to at least 7-8 km depth, and it is shallower and faster where heat flow is higher. Most of the active seismicity occurs within this new crust.

Using 3D visualization and seismic attributes to improve structural and stratigraphic resolution of reservoirs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kerr, J.; Jones, G.L.

1996-01-01

Recent advances in hardware and software have given the interpreter and engineer new ways to view 3D seismic data and well bore information. Recent papers have also highlighted the use of various statistics and seismic attributes. By combining new 3D rendering technologies with recent trends in seismic analysis, the interpreter can improve the structural and stratigraphic resolution of hydrocarbon reservoirs. This paper gives several examples using 3D visualization to better define both the structural and stratigraphic aspects of several different structural types from around the world. Statistics, 3D visualization techniques and rapid animation are used to show complex faulting andmore » detailed channel systems. These systems would be difficult to map using either 2D or 3D data with conventional interpretation techniques.« less

Using 3D visualization and seismic attributes to improve structural and stratigraphic resolution of reservoirs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kerr, J.; Jones, G.L.

1996-12-31

Recent advances in hardware and software have given the interpreter and engineer new ways to view 3D seismic data and well bore information. Recent papers have also highlighted the use of various statistics and seismic attributes. By combining new 3D rendering technologies with recent trends in seismic analysis, the interpreter can improve the structural and stratigraphic resolution of hydrocarbon reservoirs. This paper gives several examples using 3D visualization to better define both the structural and stratigraphic aspects of several different structural types from around the world. Statistics, 3D visualization techniques and rapid animation are used to show complex faulting andmore » detailed channel systems. These systems would be difficult to map using either 2D or 3D data with conventional interpretation techniques.« less

From 3D to 4D seismic tomography at El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Yeguas, A.; Koulakov, I.; Jakovlev, A.; Ibáñez, J. M.

2012-04-01

In this work we are going to show the advantages of a dynamic tomography 4D, versus a static image 3D related with a volcanic reactivation and eruption at El Hierro island (Canary Islands, Spain). In this process a high number of earthquakes before and during the eruptive processes have been registered. We are going to show a 3D image as an average of the velocity structure and then the characteristics and physical properties on the medium, including the presence or not of magma. This image will be complemented with its evolution along the time, observing its volcanic dynamic and its influence over the medium properties, including its power as an important element on early warnings protocols. After more than forty years of quiet at Canary Islands, since 1971 with Teneguía eruption at La Palma Island, and more than 200 years on El Hierro Island (The last eruption known at El Hierro took place in 1793, volcán de Lomo Negro), on 19th July on 2011 the Spanish seismic national network, administered by IGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional), detected an increase of local seismic activity below El Hierro island (Canary Islands, Spain). Since this moment an intense swarm took place, with more than 11000 events, until 11th December, with magnitudes (MLg) from 0.2 to 4.4. In this period two eruptive processes have been declared in front of the South coast of El Hierro island, and they have not finished yet. This seismic swarm has allowed carrying out a 3D seismic tomography, using P and S waves traveltimes. It has showed a low velocity from the North to the South. On the other hand, we have performed a 4D seismic tomography, taking the events occurred at different intervals of time. We can observe the evolution of the negative anomaly along the time, from the North to the South, where has taken place La Restinga submarine eruption. 4D seismic tomography is an innovative and powerful tool able to show the evolution in time of a volcanic process.

3-D View of Death Valley, California

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-21

This 3-D perspective view looking north over Death Valley, California, was produced by draping ASTER nighttime thermal infrared data over topographic data from the US Geological Survey. The ASTER data were acquired April 7, 2000 with the multi-spectral thermal infrared channels, and cover an area of 60 by 80 km (37 by 50 miles). Bands 13, 12, and 10 are displayed in red, green and blue respectively. The data have been computer enhanced to exaggerate the color variations that highlight differences in types of surface materials. Salt deposits on the floor of Death Valley appear in shades of yellow, green, purple, and pink, indicating presence of carbonate, sulfate, and chloride minerals. The Panamint Mtns. to the west, and the Black Mtns. to the east, are made up of sedimentary limestones, sandstones, shales, and metamorphic rocks. The bright red areas are dominated by the mineral quartz, such as is found in sandstones; green areas are limestones. In the lower center part of the image is Badwater, the lowest point in North America. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02663

Multi-hole seismic modeling in 3-D space and cross-hole seismic tomography analysis for boulder detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Fei; Liu, Jiangping; Wang, Jing; Zong, Yuquan; Yu, Mingyu

2016-11-01

A boulder stone, a common geological feature in south China, is referred to the remnant of a granite body which has been unevenly weathered. Undetected boulders could adversely impact the schedule and safety of subway construction when using tunnel boring machine (TBM) method. Therefore, boulder detection has always been a key issue demanded to be solved before the construction. Nowadays, cross-hole seismic tomography is a high resolution technique capable of boulder detection, however, the method can only solve for velocity in a 2-D slice between two wells, and the size and central position of the boulder are generally difficult to be accurately obtained. In this paper, the authors conduct a multi-hole wave field simulation and characteristic analysis of a boulder model based on the 3-D elastic wave staggered-grid finite difference theory, and also a 2-D imaging analysis based on first arrival travel time. The results indicate that (1) full wave field records could be obtained from multi-hole seismic wave simulations. Simulation results describe that the seismic wave propagation pattern in cross-hole high-velocity spherical geological bodies is more detailed and can serve as a basis for the wave field analysis. (2) When a cross-hole seismic section cuts through the boulder, the proposed method provides satisfactory cross-hole tomography results; however, when the section is closely positioned to the boulder, such high-velocity object in the 3-D space would impact on the surrounding wave field. The received diffracted wave interferes with the primary wave and in consequence the picked first arrival travel time is not derived from the profile, which results in a false appearance of high-velocity geology features. Finally, the results of 2-D analysis in 3-D modeling space are comparatively analyzed with the physical model test vis-a-vis the effect of high velocity body on the seismic tomographic measurements.

A 3D seismic investigation of the Ray Gas Storage Reef in Macomb County, Michigan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaefer, S.F.; Dixon, R.A.

1995-09-01

A 4.2 square mile 3D seismic survey was acquired over the Ray Niagaran Reef Gas Storage Field in southeast Michigan as part of a program to maximize storage capacity and gas deliverability of the field. Goals of the survey were: (1) to determine if additional storage capacity could be found, either as extensions to the main reef or as undiscovered satellite reefs, (2) to determine if 3D seismic data can be utilized to quantify reservoir parameters in order to maximize the productive capacity of infill wells, and (3) to investigate the relationship between the main reef body and a lowmore » relief/flow volume gas well east of the reef. Interpretation of the 3D seismic data resulted in a detailed image of the reef, using several interpretive techniques. A seismic reflection within the reef was correlated with a known porosity zone, and the relationship between porosity and seismic amplitude was investigated. A possible connection between the main reef and the low relief gas well was identified. This project illustrates the economic value of investigating an existing storage reef with 3D seismic data, and underscores the necessity of acquiring such a survey prior to developing a new storage reservoir.« less

A 3-D seismic investigation of the Ray gas storage reef, Macomb County, Michigan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schaefer, S.F.; Dixon, R.A.

1994-08-01

A 4.2 mi[sup 2] 3-D seismic survey was acquired over the Ray Niagaran reef gas storage field in southeast Michigan as part of a program to maximize storage capacity and gas deliverability of the storage reservoir. Goals of the survey were to (1) determine if additional storage capacity could be found either as extensions to the Ray reef or as undiscovered satellite reefs, (2) investigate the relationship between the main body and a low-relief gas well east of the reef, and (3) determine if seismic data can be used to quantify reservoir parameters to maximize the productive capacity of infillmore » wells. Interpretation of the 3-D seismic data resulted in a detailed image of the reef, using several interpretive techniques. A seismic reflection within the reef was correlated with a known porosity zone, and a possible relationship between porosity and seismic amplitude was investigated. A potential connection between the main reef and the low-relief gas well was identified. This project illustrates the economic value of investigating an existing storage reef with 3-D seismic data, and underscores the necessity of such a survey prior to developing a new storage reservoir.« less

New constraints on mechanisms of remotely triggered seismicity at Long Valley Caldera

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brodsky, E.E.; Prejean, S.G.

2005-01-01

Regional-scale triggering of local earthquakes in the crust by seismic waves from distant main shocks has now been robustly documented for over a decade. Some of the most thoroughly recorded examples of repeated triggering of a single site from multiple, large earthquakes are measured in geothermal fields of the western United States like Long Valley Caldera. As one of the few natural cases where the causality of an earthquake sequence is apparent, triggering provides fundamental constraints on the failure processes in earthquakes. We show here that the observed triggering by seismic waves is inconsistent with any mechanism that depends on cumulative shaking as measured by integrated energy density. We also present evidence for a frequency-dependent triggering threshold. On the basis of the seismic records of 12 regional and teleseismic events recorded at Long Valley Caldera, long-period waves (>30 s) are more effective at generating local seismicity than short-period waves of comparable amplitude. If the properties of the system are stationary over time, the failure threshold for long-period waves is ~0.05 cm/s vertical shaking. Assuming a phase velocity of 3.5 km/s and an elastic modulus of 3.5 x 1010Pa, the threshold in terms of stress is 5 kPa. The frequency dependence is due in part to the attenuation of the surface waves with depth. Fluid flow through a porous medium can produce the rest of the observed frequency dependence of the threshold. If the threshold is not stationary with time, pore pressures that are >99.5% of lithostatic and vary over time by a factor of 4 could explain the observations with no frequency dependence of the triggering threshold. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

New comprehensive standard seismic noise models and 3D seismic noise variation for Morocco territory, North Africa, obtained using seismic broadband stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Fellah, Younes; El-Aal, Abd El-Aziz Khairy Abd; Harnafi, Mimoun; Villaseñor, Antonio

2017-05-01

In the current work, we constructed new comprehensive standard seismic noise models and 3D temporal-spatial seismic noise level cubes for Morocco in north-west Africa to be used for seismological and engineering purposes. Indeed, the original global standard seismic noise models published by Peterson (1993) and their following updates by Astiz and Creager (1995), Ekström (2001) and Berger et al. (2003) had no contributing seismic stations deployed in North Africa. Consequently, this preliminary study was conducted to shed light on seismic noise levels specific to north-west Africa. For this purpose, 23 broadband seismic stations recently installed in different structural domains throughout Morocco are used to study the nature and characteristics of seismic noise and to create seismic noise models for Morocco. Continuous data recorded during 2009, 2010 and 2011 were processed and analysed to construct these new noise models and 3D noise levels from all stations. We compared the Peterson new high-noise model (NHNM) and low-noise model (NLNM) with the Moroccan high-noise model (MHNM) and low-noise model (MLNM). These new noise models are comparable to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) models in the short period band; however, in the period range 1.2 s to 1000 s for MLNM and 10 s to 1000 s for MHNM display significant variations. This variation is attributed to differences in the nature of seismic noise sources that dominate Morocco in these period bands. The results of this study have a new perception about permanent seismic noise models for this spectacular region and can be considered a significant contribution because it supplements the Peterson models and can also be used to site future permanent seismic stations in Morocco.

Absolute earthquake locations using 3-D versus 1-D velocity models below a local seismic network: example from the Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theunissen, T.; Chevrot, S.; Sylvander, M.; Monteiller, V.; Calvet, M.; Villaseñor, A.; Benahmed, S.; Pauchet, H.; Grimaud, F.

2018-03-01

Local seismic networks are usually designed so that earthquakes are located inside them (primary azimuthal gap <<180°) and close to the seismic stations (0-100 km). With these local or near-regional networks (0°-5°), many seismological observatories still routinely locate earthquakes using 1-D velocity models. Moving towards 3-D location algorithms requires robust 3-D velocity models. This work takes advantage of seismic monitoring spanning more than 30 yr in the Pyrenean region. We investigate the influence of a well-designed 3-D model with station corrections including basins structure and the geometry of the Mohorovicic discontinuity on earthquake locations. In the most favourable cases (GAP < 180° and distance to the first station lower than 15 km), results using 1-D velocity models are very similar to 3-D results. The horizontal accuracy in the 1-D case can be higher than in the 3-D case if lateral variations in the structure are not properly resolved. Depth is systematically better resolved in the 3-D model even on the boundaries of the seismic network (GAP > 180° and distance to the first station higher than 15 km). Errors on velocity models and accuracy of absolute earthquake locations are assessed based on a reference data set made of active seismic, quarry blasts and passive temporary experiments. Solutions and uncertainties are estimated using the probabilistic approach of the NonLinLoc (NLLoc) software based on Equal Differential Time. Some updates have been added to NLLoc to better focus on the final solution (outlier exclusion, multiscale grid search, S-phases weighting). Errors in the probabilistic approach are defined to take into account errors on velocity models and on arrival times. The seismicity in the final 3-D catalogue is located with a horizontal uncertainty of about 2.0 ± 1.9 km and a vertical uncertainty of about 3.0 ± 2.0 km.

New Geologic Map and Structural Cross Sections of the Death Valley Extended Terrain (southern Sierra Nevada, California to Spring Mountains, Nevada): Toward 3D Kinematic Reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, B. M.; Axen, G. J.; Phillips, F. M.

2017-12-01

Tectonic reconstructions for the Death Valley extended terrain (S. Sierra Nevada to Spring Mountains) have evolved to include a growing number of offset markers for strike-slip fault systems but are mainly map view (2D) and do not incorporate a wealth of additional constraints. We present a new 1:300,000 digital geologic map and structural cross sections, which provide a geometric framework for stepwise 3D reconstructions of Late Cenozoic extension and transtension. 3D models will decipher complex relationships between strike-slip, normal, and detachment faults and their role in accommodating large magnitude extension/rigid block rotation. Fault coordination is key to understanding how extensional systems and transform margins evolve with changing boundary conditions. 3D geometric and kinematic analysis adds key strain compatibility unavailable in 2D reconstructions. The stratigraphic framework of Fridrich and Thompson (2011) is applied to rocks outside of Death Valley. Cenozoic basin deposits are grouped into 6 assemblages differentiated by age, provenance, and bounding unconformities, which reflect Pacific-North American plate boundary events. Pre-Cenozoic rocks are grouped for utility: for example, Cararra Formation equivalents are grouped because they form a Cordilleran thrust decollement zone. Offset markers are summarized in the associated tectonic map. Other constraints include fault geometries and slip rates, age, geometry and provenance of Cenozoic basins, gravity, cooling histories of footwalls, and limited seismic/well data. Cross sections were constructed parallel to net-transport directions of fault blocks. Surface fault geometries were compiled from previous mapping and projected to depth using seismic/gravity data. Cooling histories of footwalls guided geometric interpretation of uplifted detachment footwalls. Mesh surfaces will be generated from 2D section lines to create a framework for stepwise 3D reconstruction of extension and transtension in

3D seismic data de-noising and reconstruction using Multichannel Time Slice Singular Spectrum Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rekapalli, Rajesh; Tiwari, R. K.; Sen, Mrinal K.; Vedanti, Nimisha

2017-05-01

Noises and data gaps complicate the seismic data processing and subsequently cause difficulties in the geological interpretation. We discuss a recent development and application of the Multi-channel Time Slice Singular Spectrum Analysis (MTSSSA) for 3D seismic data de-noising in time domain. In addition, L1 norm based simultaneous data gap filling of 3D seismic data using MTSSSA also discussed. We discriminated the noises from single individual time slices of 3D volumes by analyzing Eigen triplets of the trajectory matrix. We first tested the efficacy of the method on 3D synthetic seismic data contaminated with noise and then applied to the post stack seismic reflection data acquired from the Sleipner CO2 storage site (pre and post CO2 injection) from Norway. Our analysis suggests that the MTSSSA algorithm is efficient to enhance the S/N for better identification of amplitude anomalies along with simultaneous data gap filling. The bright spots identified in the de-noised data indicate upward migration of CO2 towards the top of the Utsira formation. The reflections identified applying MTSSSA to pre and post injection data correlate well with the geology of the Southern Viking Graben (SVG).

3D absolute hypocentral determination - 13 years of seismicity in Ecuadorian subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Font, Yvonne; Segovia, Monica; Theunissen, Thomas

2010-05-01

In Ecuador, the Nazca plate is subducting beneath the North Andean Block. This subduction triggered, during the last century, 4 major earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7.7. Between 1994 and 2007, the Geophysical Institute (Escuela National Politecnica, Quito) recorded about 40 000 events in whole Ecuador ranging from Mb 1.5 to 6.9. Unfortunately, the local network shows great density discrepancy between the Coastal and Andean regions where numerous stations were installed to survey volcanic activity. Consequently, seismicity in and around the interplate seismogenic zone - producer of the most destructive earthquakes and tsunamis - is not well constrained. This study aims to improve the location of 13 years seismicity occurred during an interseismic period in order to better localize the seismic deformation and gaps. The first step consists in the construction of a 3D "georealistic" velocity model. Because local tomography cannot provide satisfactory model, we combined all local crustal/lithospheric information on the geometry and velocity properties of different geological units. Those information cover the oceanic Nazca plate and sedimentary coverture the subducting plate dip angle; the North Andean Block margin composed of accreted oceanic plateaus (the Moho depth is approximated using gravity modeling); the metamorphic volcanic chain (oceanic nature for the occidental cordillera and inter-andean valley, continental one for the oriental cordillera); The continental Guyana shield and sedimentary basins. The resulting 3D velocity model extends from 2°N to 6.5°S and 277°E to 283°E and reaches a depth of 300 km. It is discretized in constant velocity blocks of 12 x 12 x 3 km in x, y and z, respectively. The second step consists in selecting an adequate sub-set of seismic stations in order to correct the effect of station density disequilibrium between coastal and volcanic regions. Consequently, we only keep the most representative volcanic stations in terms

Seismic anisotropy of the Archean crust in the Minnesota River Valley, Superior Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, Eric C.; Gébelin, Aude; Conder, James A.; Christensen, Nik; Wood, Justin D.; Teyssier, Christian

2014-03-01

The Minnesota River Valley (MRV) subprovince is a well-exposed example of late Archean lithosphere. Its high-grade gneisses display a subhorizontal layering, most likely extending down to the crust-mantle boundary. The strong linear fabric of the gneisses results from high-temperature plastic flow during collage-related contraction. Seismic anisotropies measured up to 1 GPa in the laboratory, and seismic anisotropies calculated through forward-modeling indicate ΔVP ~5-6% and ΔVS ~3%. The MRV crust exhibits a strong macroscopic layering and foliation, and relatively strong seismic anisotropies at the hand specimen scale. Yet the horizontal attitude of these structures precludes any substantial contribution of the MRV crust to shear wave splitting for vertically propagating shear waves such as SKS. The origin of the regionally low seismic anisotropy must lie in the upper mantle. A horizontally layered mantle underneath the United States interior could provide an explanation for the observed low SWS.

3D Porosity Estimation of the Nankai Trough Sediments from Core-log-seismic Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. O.

2015-12-01

The Nankai Trough off southwest Japan is one of the best subduction-zone to study megathrust earthquake fault. Historic, great megathrust earthquakes with a recurrence interval of 100-200 yr have generated strong motion and large tsunamis along the Nankai Trough subduction zone. At the Nankai Trough margin, the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) is being subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate to the northwest at a convergence rate ~4 cm/yr. The Shikoku Basin, the northern part of the PSP, is estimated to have opened between 25 and 15 Ma by backarc spreading of the Izu-Bonin arc. The >100-km-wide Nankai accretionary wedge, which has developed landward of the trench since the Miocene, mainly consists of offscraped and underplated materials from the trough-fill turbidites and the Shikoku Basin hemipelagic sediments. Particularly, physical properties of the incoming hemipelagic sediments may be critical for seismogenic behavior of the megathrust fault. We have carried out core-log-seismic integration (CLSI) to estimate 3D acoustic impedance and porosity for the incoming sediments in the Nankai Trough. For the CLSI, we used 3D seismic reflection data, P-wave velocity and density data obtained during IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) Expeditions 322 and 333. We computed acoustic impedance depth profiles for the IODP drilling sites from P-wave velocity and density data. We constructed seismic convolution models with the acoustic impedance profiles and a source wavelet which is extracted from the seismic data, adjusting the seismic models to observed seismic traces with inversion method. As a result, we obtained 3D acoustic impedance volume and then converted it to 3D porosity volume. In general, the 3D porosities show decrease with depth. We found a porosity anomaly zone with alteration of high and low porosities seaward of the trough axis. In this talk, we will show detailed 3D porosity of the incoming sediments, and present implications of the porosity anomaly zone for the

Seismic calibration shots conducted in 2009 in the Imperial Valley, southern California, for the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murphy, Janice; Goldman, Mark; Fuis, Gary; Rymer, Michael; Sickler, Robert; Miller, Summer; Butcher, Lesley; Ricketts, Jason; Criley, Coyn; Stock, Joann; Hole, John; Chavez, Greg

2011-01-01

Rupture of the southern section of the San Andreas Fault, from the Coachella Valley to the Mojave Desert, is believed to be the greatest natural hazard facing California in the near future. With an estimated magnitude between 7.2 and 8.1, such an event would result in violent shaking, loss of life, and disruption of lifelines (freeways, aqueducts, power, petroleum, and communication lines) that would bring much of southern California to a standstill. As part of the Nation's efforts to prevent a catastrophe of this magnitude, a number of projects are underway to increase our knowledge of Earth processes in the area and to mitigate the effects of such an event. One such project is the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP), which is a collaborative venture between the United States Geological Survey (USGS), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). This project will generate and record seismic waves that travel through the crust and upper mantle of the Salton Trough. With these data, we will construct seismic images of the subsurface, both reflection and tomographic images. These images will contribute to the earthquake-hazard assessment in southern California by helping to constrain fault locations, sedimentary basin thickness and geometry, and sedimentary seismic velocity distributions. Data acquisition is currently scheduled for winter and spring of 2011. The design and goals of SSIP resemble those of the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment (LARSE) of the 1990's. LARSE focused on examining the San Andreas Fault system and associated thrust-fault systems of the Transverse Ranges. LARSE was successful in constraining the geometry of the San Andreas Fault at depth and in relating this geometry to mid-crustal, flower-structure-like decollements in the Transverse Ranges that splay upward into the network of hazardous thrust faults that caused the 1971 M 6.7 San Fernando and 1987 M 5

3D Seismic Imaging using Marchenko Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lomas, A.; Curtis, A.

2017-12-01

Marchenko methods are novel, data driven techniques that allow seismic wavefields from sources and receivers on the Earth's surface to be redatumed to construct wavefields with sources in the subsurface - including complex multiply-reflected waves, and without the need for a complex reference model. In turn, this allows subsurface images to be constructed at any such subsurface redatuming points (image or virtual receiver points). Such images are then free of artefacts from multiply-scattered waves that usually contaminate migrated seismic images. Marchenko algorithms require as input the same information as standard migration methods: the full reflection response from sources and receivers at the Earth's surface, and an estimate of the first arriving wave between the chosen image point and the surface. The latter can be calculated using a smooth velocity model estimated using standard methods. The algorithm iteratively calculates a signal that focuses at the image point to create a virtual source at that point, and this can be used to retrieve the signal between the virtual source and the surface. A feature of these methods is that the retrieved signals are naturally decomposed into up- and down-going components. That is, we obtain both the signal that initially propagated upwards from the virtual source and arrived at the surface, separated from the signal that initially propagated downwards. Figure (a) shows a 3D subsurface model with a variable density but a constant velocity (3000m/s). Along the surface of this model (z=0) in both the x and y directions are co-located sources and receivers at 20-meter intervals. The redatumed signal in figure (b) has been calculated using Marchenko methods from a virtual source (1200m, 500m and 400m) to the surface. For comparison the true solution is given in figure (c), and shows a good match when compared to figure (b). While these 2D redatuming and imaging methods are still in their infancy having first been developed in

Crustal shortening followed by extensional collapse of the Cordilleran orogenic belt in northwestern Montana: Evidence from vintage seismic reflection profiles acquired in the Swan Range and Swan Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutherford, B. S.; Speece, M. A.; Stickney, M. C.; Mosolf, J. G.

2013-12-01

Reprocessing of one 24-fold (96 channel) and four 30-fold (120 channel) 2D seismic reflection profiles have revealed crustal scale reflections in the Swan Range and adjacent Swan River Valley of northwestern Montana. The five reprocessed profiles constitute 142.6 of the 303.3 linear km acquired in 1983-84 by Techo of Denver, Colorado. The four 30-fold profiles used helicopter-assisted dynamite shooting (Poulter method) and the 24-fold profile used the Vibroseis method. Acquisition parameters were state of the art for the time. The Swan Range lies east of the Rocky Mountain Trench and is part of the Cordilleran foreland thrust belt where the Lewis thrust system emplaced a thick slab of Proterozoic Belt Supergroup strata eastward and over Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks during the Late Cretaceous to early Paleocene Laramide orogeny. Deeply drilled borehole data are absent within the study area; however, we generated a synthetic seismogram from the Arco-Marathon 1 Paul Gibbs well (total depth=5418 m), located approximately 70 km west of the reprocessed profiles, and correlated the well data to surface seismic profiles. Large impedance contrasts in the log data are interpreted to be tholeiitic Moyie sills within the Prichard Formation argillite (Lower Belt), which produce strong reflection events in regional seismic sections and result in highly reflective, east-dipping events in the reprocessed profiles. We estimate a depth of 10 km (3 to 3.5 seconds) to the basal detachment of the Lewis thrust sheet. The décollement lies within Belt Supergroup strata to the west of the Swan River Valley before contacting unreflective, west-dipping crystalline basement beneath the Swan Range--a geometry that results in a wedge of eastward-thinning, autochthonous Belt rocks. Distinct fault-plane signatures from the west-dipping, range-bounding Swan fault--produced by extensional collapse of the over-thickened Cordillera--are not successfully imaged. However, reflections from Cenozoic

Analysis of ancient-river systems by 3D seismic time-slice technique: A case study in northeast Malay Basin, offshore Terengganu, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulaiman, Noorzamzarina; Hamzah, Umar; Samsudin, Abdul Rahim

2014-09-01

Fluvial sandstones constitute one of the major clastic petroleum reservoir types in many sedimentary basins around the world. This study is based on the analysis of high-resolution, shallow (seabed to 500 m depth) 3D seismic data which generated three-dimensional (3D) time slices that provide exceptional imaging of the geometry, dimension and temporal and spatial distribution of fluvial channels. The study area is in the northeast of Malay Basin about 280 km to the east of Terengganu offshore. The Malay Basin comprises a thick (> 8 km), rift to post-rift Oligo-Miocene to Pliocene basin-fill. The youngest (Miocene to Pliocene), post-rift succession is dominated by a thick (1-5 km), cyclic succession of coastal plain and coastal deposits, which accumulated in a humid-tropical climatic setting. This study focuses on the Pleistocene to Recent (500 m thick) succession, which comprises a range of seismic facies analysis of the two-dimensional (2D) seismic sections, mainly reflecting changes in fluvial channel style and river architecture. The succession has been divided into four seismic units (Unit S1-S4), bounded by basin-wide strata surfaces. Two types of boundaries have been identified: 1) a boundary that is defined by a regionally-extensive erosion surface at the base of a prominent incised valley (S3 and S4); 2) a sequence boundary that is defined by more weakly-incised, straight and low-sinuosity channels which is interpreted as low-stand alluvial bypass channel systems (S1 and S2). Each unit displays a predictable vertical change of the channel pattern and scale, with wide low-sinuosity channels at the base passing gradationally upwards into narrow high-sinuosity channels at the top. The wide variation in channel style and size is interpreted to be controlled mainly by the sea-level fluctuations on the widely flat Sunda land Platform.

Refraction statics and seismic imaging: 2-D versus 3-D solutions in the Western Desert of Egypt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

El-Emam, A.; Nessim, M.

1994-12-31

Careful review of old geophysical and geological data from the Western Desert of Egypt led to the decision of shooting a 3-D seismic survey targeted to solve some of the encountered geophysical problems such as difficulty of tracing the very thin pay zone, identifying the stratigraphic plays and the main two problems of the seismic method in the Western Desert which are statics and poor imaging. In a case history form illustrated by examples, the result of the 3-D solutions will be shown. Furthermore, an analytical approach will be undertaken to clarify and highlight the sources of those geophysical problemsmore » and how the 3-D solution helped in resolving them.« less

Structure of the San Fernando Valley region, California: implications for seismic hazard and tectonic history

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langenheim, V.E.; Wright, T.L.; Okaya, D.A.; Yeats, R.S.; Fuis, G.S.; Thygesen, K.; Thybo, H.

2011-01-01

Industry seismic reflection data, oil test well data, interpretation of gravity and magnetic data, and seismic refraction deep-crustal profiles provide new perspectives on the subsurface geology of San Fernando Valley, home of two of the most recent damaging earthquakes in southern California. Seismic reflection data provide depths to Miocene–Quaternary horizons; beneath the base of the Late Miocene Modelo Formation are largely nonreflective rocks of the Middle Miocene Topanga and older formations. Gravity and seismic reflection data reveal the North Leadwell fault zone, a set of down-to-the-north faults that does not offset the top of the Modelo Formation; the zone strikes northwest across the valley, and may be part of the Oak Ridge fault system to the west. In the southeast part of the valley, the fault zone bounds a concealed basement high that influenced deposition of the Late Miocene Tarzana fan and may have localized damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Gravity and seismic refraction data indicate that the basin underlying San Fernando Valley is asymmetric, the north part of the basin (Sylmar subbasin) reaching depths of 5–8 km. Magnetic data suggest a major boundary at or near the Verdugo fault, which likely started as a Miocene transtensional fault, and show a change in the dip sense of the fault along strike. The northwest projection of the Verdugo fault separates the Sylmar subbasin from the main San Fernando Valley and coincides with the abrupt change in structural style from the Santa Susana fault to the Sierra Madre fault. The Simi Hills bound the basin on the west and, as defined by gravity data, the boundary is linear and strikes ~N45°E. That northeast-trending gravity gradient follows both the part of the 1971 San Fernando aftershock distribution called the Chatsworth trend and the aftershock trends of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. These data suggest that the 1971 San Fernando and 1994 Northridge earthquakes reactivated portions of

Development of a State-Wide 3-D Seismic Tomography Velocity Model for California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thurber, C. H.; Lin, G.; Zhang, H.; Hauksson, E.; Shearer, P.; Waldhauser, F.; Hardebeck, J.; Brocher, T.

2007-12-01

We report on progress towards the development of a state-wide tomographic model of the P-wave velocity for the crust and uppermost mantle of California. The dataset combines first arrival times from earthquakes and quarry blasts recorded on regional network stations and travel times of first arrivals from explosions and airguns recorded on profile receivers and network stations. The principal active-source datasets are Geysers-San Pablo Bay, Imperial Valley, Livermore, W. Mojave, Gilroy-Coyote Lake, Shasta region, Great Valley, Morro Bay, Mono Craters-Long Valley, PACE, S. Sierras, LARSE 1 and 2, Loma Prieta, BASIX, San Francisco Peninsula and Parkfield. Our beta-version model is coarse (uniform 30 km horizontal and variable vertical gridding) but is able to image the principal features in previous separate regional models for northern and southern California, such as the high-velocity subducting Gorda Plate, upper to middle crustal velocity highs beneath the Sierra Nevada and much of the Coast Ranges, the deep low-velocity basins of the Great Valley, Ventura, and Los Angeles, and a high- velocity body in the lower crust underlying the Great Valley. The new state-wide model has improved areal coverage compared to the previous models, and extends to greater depth due to the data at large epicentral distances. We plan a series of steps to improve the model. We are enlarging and calibrating the active-source dataset as we obtain additional picks from investigators and perform quality control analyses on the existing and new picks. We will also be adding data from more quarry blasts, mainly in northern California, following an identification and calibration procedure similar to Lin et al. (2006). Composite event construction (Lin et al., in press) will be carried out for northern California for use in conventional tomography. A major contribution of the state-wide model is the identification of earthquakes yielding arrival times at both the Northern California Seismic

ActiveSeismoPick3D - automatic first arrival determination for large active seismic arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paffrath, Marcel; Küperkoch, Ludger; Wehling-Benatelli, Sebastian; Friederich, Wolfgang

2016-04-01

We developed a tool for automatic determination of first arrivals in active seismic data based on an approach, that utilises higher order statistics (HOS) and the Akaike information criterion (AIC), commonly used in seismology, but not in active seismics. Automatic picking is highly desirable in active seismics as the number of data provided by large seismic arrays rapidly exceeds of what an analyst can evaluate in a reasonable amount of time. To bring the functionality of automatic phase picking into the context of active data, the software package ActiveSeismoPick3D was developed in Python. It uses a modified algorithm for the determination of first arrivals which searches for the HOS maximum in unfiltered data. Additionally, it offers tools for manual quality control and postprocessing, e.g. various visualisation and repicking functionalities. For flexibility, the tool also includes methods for the preparation of geometry information of large seismic arrays and improved interfaces to the Fast Marching Tomography Package (FMTOMO), which can be used for the prediction of travel times and inversion for subsurface properties. Output files are generated in the VTK format, allowing the 3D visualization of e.g. the inversion results. As a test case, a data set consisting of 9216 traces from 64 shots was gathered, recorded at 144 receivers deployed in a regular 2D array of a size of 100 x 100 m. ActiveSeismoPick3D automatically checks the determined first arrivals by a dynamic signal to noise ratio threshold. From the data a 3D model of the subsurface was generated using the export functionality of the package and FMTOMO.

A Geo-referenced 3D model of the Juan de Fuca Slab and associated seismicity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blair, J.L.; McCrory, P.A.; Oppenheimer, D.H.; Waldhauser, F.

2011-01-01

We present a Geographic Information System (GIS) of a new 3-dimensional (3D) model of the subducted Juan de Fuca Plate beneath western North America and associated seismicity of the Cascadia subduction system. The geo-referenced 3D model was constructed from weighted control points that integrate depth information from hypocenter locations and regional seismic velocity studies. We used the 3D model to differentiate earthquakes that occur above the Juan de Fuca Plate surface from earthquakes that occur below the plate surface. This GIS project of the Cascadia subduction system supersedes the one previously published by McCrory and others (2006). Our new slab model updates the model with new constraints. The most significant updates to the model include: (1) weighted control points to incorporate spatial uncertainty, (2) an additional gridded slab surface based on the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) Surface program which constructs surfaces based on splines in tension (see expanded description below), (3) double-differenced hypocenter locations in northern California to better constrain slab location there, and (4) revised slab shape based on new hypocenter profiles that incorporate routine depth uncertainties as well as data from new seismic-reflection and seismic-refraction studies. We also provide a 3D fly-through animation of the model for use as a visualization tool.

Initialising reservoir models for history matching using pre-production 3D seismic data: constraining methods and uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niri, Mohammad Emami; Lumley, David E.

2017-10-01

Integration of 3D and time-lapse 4D seismic data into reservoir modelling and history matching processes poses a significant challenge due to the frequent mismatch between the initial reservoir model, the true reservoir geology, and the pre-production (baseline) seismic data. A fundamental step of a reservoir characterisation and performance study is the preconditioning of the initial reservoir model to equally honour both the geological knowledge and seismic data. In this paper we analyse the issues that have a significant impact on the (mis)match of the initial reservoir model with well logs and inverted 3D seismic data. These issues include the constraining methods for reservoir lithofacies modelling, the sensitivity of the results to the presence of realistic resolution and noise in the seismic data, the geostatistical modelling parameters, and the uncertainties associated with quantitative incorporation of inverted seismic data in reservoir lithofacies modelling. We demonstrate that in a geostatistical lithofacies simulation process, seismic constraining methods based on seismic litho-probability curves and seismic litho-probability cubes yield the best match to the reference model, even when realistic resolution and noise is included in the dataset. In addition, our analyses show that quantitative incorporation of inverted 3D seismic data in static reservoir modelling carries a range of uncertainties and should be cautiously applied in order to minimise the risk of misinterpretation. These uncertainties are due to the limited vertical resolution of the seismic data compared to the scale of the geological heterogeneities, the fundamental instability of the inverse problem, and the non-unique elastic properties of different lithofacies types.

Salton Seismic Imaging Project Line 5—the San Andreas Fault and Northern Coachella Valley Structure, Riverside County, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rymer, M. J.; Fuis, G.; Catchings, R. D.; Goldman, M.; Tarnowski, J. M.; Hole, J. A.; Stock, J. M.; Matti, J. C.

2012-12-01

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) is a large-scale, active- and passive-source seismic project designed to image the San Andreas Fault (SAF) and the adjacent basins (Imperial and Coachella Valleys) in southern California. Here, we focus on SSIP Line 5, one of four 2-D NE-SW-oriented seismic profiles that were acquired across the Coachella Valley. The 38-km-long SSIP-Line-5 seismic profile extends from the Santa Rosa Ranges to the Little San Bernardino Mountains and crosses both strands of the SAF, the Mission Creek (MCF) and Banning (BF) strands, near Palm Desert. Data for Line 5 were generated from nine buried explosive sources (most spaced about 2 to 8 km apart) and were recorded on approximately 281 Texan seismographs (average spacing 138 m). First-arrival refractions were used to develop a refraction tomographic velocity image of the upper crust along the seismic profile. The seismic data were also stacked and migrated to develop low-fold reflection images of the crust. From the surface to about 8 km depth, P-wave velocities range from about 2 km/s to more than 7.5 km/s, with the lowest velocities within a well-defined (~2-km-deep, 15-km-wide) basin (< 4 km/s), and the highest velocities below the transition from the Coachella Valley to the Santa Rosa Ranges on the southwest and within the Little San Bernardino Mountains on the northeast. The MCF and BF strands of the SAF bound an approximately 2.5-km-wide horst-type structure on the northeastern side of the Coachella Valley, beneath which the upper crust is characterized by a pronounced low-velocity zone that extends to the bottom of the velocity image. Rocks within the low-velocity zone have significantly lower velocities than those to the northeast and the southwest at the same depths. Conversely, the velocities of rocks on both sides of the Coachella Valley are greater than 7 km/s at depths exceeding about 4 km. The relatively narrow zone of shallow high-velocity rocks between the surface traces of

Investigation of the local stress perturbation in Long Valley, California, by coupling seismic analyses and FEM numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, G.; Albino, F.; Amelung, F.

2017-12-01

Long Valley Caldera in eastern California is well known for producing numerous volcanic eruptions over the past 3 Myr. There has been a stress perturbation in the vicinity of the caldera with respect to the regional stress field. In this study, we combine seismic analyses and finite-element numerical modeling to investigate this local stress anomaly. We first compute focal mechanisms for earthquakes relocated by using a three-dimensional (3-D) seismic velocity model and waveform cross-correlation data. The final 42,000 good-quality focal solutions show that the mechanisms are dominated by approximately the same amount of normal faulting and strike-slip and much fewer reverse focal types. These focal mechanisms are then used to invert for the stress field in the study area by applying the SATSI algorithm. The orientations of the inverted minimum horizontal principal stress (ShMIN) greatly agree with those in previous studies based on analyses of focal mechanisms, borehole breakouts, and fault offsets. The NE-SW oriented ShMIN in the resurgent dome and south moat of the caldera is in contrast to the dominating E-W orientation in the western Basin and Range province and Mammoth Mountain. We then investigate which mechanism most likely causes this local stress perturbation by applying 3-D Finite Element Modeling (FEM). Mechanical properties (e.g., density, Poisson's ratio, and Young's Modulus) used in the model are derived from the latest 3-D seismic tomography model. Taking into account an initial stress field, we examine stress perturbations resulting from different sources: (1) pressurization of a magma reservoir, (2) dyking event, and (3) tectonic faulting; and compute the corresponding stress field orientation for each and compare it with the observations.

Active tectonics of the Imperial Valley, southern California: fault damage zones, complex basins and buried faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persaud, P.; Ma, Y.; Stock, J. M.; Hole, J. A.; Fuis, G. S.; Han, L.

2016-12-01

Ongoing oblique slip at the Pacific-North America plate boundary in the Salton Trough produced the Imperial Valley. Deformation in this seismically active area is distributed across a complex network of exposed and buried faults resulting in a largely unmapped seismic hazard beneath the growing population centers of El Centro, Calexico and Mexicali. To better understand the shallow crustal structure in this region and the connectivity of faults and seismicity lineaments, we used data primarily from the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) to construct a P-wave velocity profile to 15 km depth, and a 3-D velocity model down to 8 km depth including the Brawley Geothermal area. We obtained detailed images of a complex wedge-shaped basin at the southern end of the San Andreas Fault system. Two deep subbasins (VP <5.65 km/s) are located in the western part of the larger Imperial Valley basin, where seismicity trends and active faults play a significant role in shaping the basin edge. Our 3-D VP model reveals previously unrecognized NE-striking cross faults that are interacting with the dominant NW-striking faults to control deformation. New findings in our profile include localized regions of low VP (thickening of a 5.65-5.85 km/s layer) near faults or seismicity lineaments interpreted as possibly faulting-related. Our 3-D model and basement map reveal velocity highs associated with the geothermal areas in the eastern valley. The improved seismic velocity model from this study, and the identification of important unmapped faults or buried interfaces will help refine the seismic hazard for parts of Imperial County, California.

Seismic source inversion using Green's reciprocity and a 3-D structural model for the Japanese Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simutė, S.; Fichtner, A.

2015-12-01

We present a feasibility study for seismic source inversions using a 3-D velocity model for the Japanese Islands. The approach involves numerically calculating 3-D Green's tensors, which is made efficient by exploiting Green's reciprocity. The rationale for 3-D seismic source inversion has several aspects. For structurally complex regions, such as the Japan area, it is necessary to account for 3-D Earth heterogeneities to prevent unknown structure polluting source solutions. In addition, earthquake source characterisation can serve as a means to delineate existing faults. Source parameters obtained for more realistic Earth models can then facilitate improvements in seismic tomography and early warning systems, which are particularly important for seismically active areas, such as Japan. We have created a database of numerically computed 3-D Green's reciprocals for a 40°× 40°× 600 km size area around the Japanese Archipelago for >150 broadband stations. For this we used a regional 3-D velocity model, recently obtained from full waveform inversion. The model includes attenuation and radial anisotropy and explains seismic waveform data for periods between 10 - 80 s generally well. The aim is to perform source inversions using the database of 3-D Green's tensors. As preliminary steps, we present initial concepts to address issues that are at the basis of our approach. We first investigate to which extent Green's reciprocity works in a discrete domain. Considering substantial amounts of computed Green's tensors we address storage requirements and file formatting. We discuss the importance of the initial source model, as an intelligent choice can substantially reduce the search volume. Possibilities to perform a Bayesian inversion and ways to move to finite source inversion are also explored.

Delineation of faulting and basin geometry along a seismic reflection transect in urbanized San Bernardino Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, W.J.; Odum, J.K.; Williams, R.A.; Anderson, M.L.

2002-01-01

Fourteen kilometers of continuous, shallow seismic reflection data acquired through the urbanized San Bernardino Valley, California, have revealed numerous faults between the San Jacinto and San Andreas faults as well as a complex pattern of downdropped and uplifted blocks. These data also indicate that the Loma Linda fault continues northeastward at least 4.5 km beyond its last mapped location on the southern edge of the valley and to within at least 2 km of downtown San Bernardino. Previously undetected faults within the valley northeast of the San Jacinto fault are also imaged, including the inferred western extension of the Banning fault and several unnamed faults. The Rialto-Colton fault is interpreted southwest of the San Jacinto fault. The seismic data image the top of the crystalline basement complex across 70% of the profile length and show that the basement has an overall dip of roughly 10?? southwest between Perris Hill and the San Jacinto fault. Gravity and aeromagnetic data corroborate the interpreted location of the San Jacinto fault and better constrain the basin depth along the seismic profile to be as deep as 1.7 km. These data also corroborate other fault locations and the general dip of the basement surface. At least 1.2 km of apparent vertical displacement on the basement is observed across the San Jacinto fault at the profile location. The basin geometry delineated by these data was used to generate modeled ground motions that show peak horizontal amplifications of 2-3.5 above bedrock response in the 0.05- to 1.0-Hz frequency band, which is consistent with recorded earthquake data in the valley.

3D seismic attribute expressions of deep offshore Niger Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anyiam, Uzonna Okenna

Structural and stratigraphic interpretation of 3D seismic data for reservoir characterization in an area affected by dense faulting, such as the Niger Delta, is typically difficult and strongly model driven because of problems with imaging. In the Freeman field, located about 120km offshore southwestern Niger Delta at about 1300m water depth, 3D seismic attribute-based analogs, and structural and stratigraphic based geometric models are combined to help enhance and constrain the interpretation. The objectives being to show how 3D seismic attribute analysis enhances seismic interpretation, develop structural style and stratigraphic architecture models and identify trap mechanisms in the study area; with the main purpose of producing structural and stratigraphic framework analogs to aid exploration and production companies, as well as researchers in better understanding the structural style, stratigraphic framework and trap mechanism of the Miocene to Pliocene Agbada Formation reservoirs in the deep Offshore Niger Delta Basin. A multidisciplinary approach which involved analyses of calculated variance-based coherence cube, spectral decomposition box probe and root-mean-square amplitude attributes, sequence stratigraphy based well correlation, and structural modeling; were undertaken to achieve these objectives. Studies reveal a massive northwest-southeast trending shale cored detachment fold anticline, with associated normal faults; interpreted to have been folded and faulted by localized compression resulting from a combination of differential loading on the deep-seated overpressured-ductile-undercompacted-marine Akata shale, and gravitational collapse of the Niger delta continental slope due to influx of sediments. Crestal extension resulting from this localized compression, is believed to have given rise to the synthetic, antithetic and newly observed crossing conjugate normal faults in the study area. This structure is unique to the existing types of principal

Analysis of ancient-river systems by 3D seismic time-slice technique: A case study in northeast Malay Basin, offshore Terengganu, Malaysia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sulaiman, Noorzamzarina; Hamzah, Umar; Samsudin, Abdul Rahim

2014-09-03

Fluvial sandstones constitute one of the major clastic petroleum reservoir types in many sedimentary basins around the world. This study is based on the analysis of high-resolution, shallow (seabed to 500 m depth) 3D seismic data which generated three-dimensional (3D) time slices that provide exceptional imaging of the geometry, dimension and temporal and spatial distribution of fluvial channels. The study area is in the northeast of Malay Basin about 280 km to the east of Terengganu offshore. The Malay Basin comprises a thick (> 8 km), rift to post-rift Oligo-Miocene to Pliocene basin-fill. The youngest (Miocene to Pliocene), post-rift successionmore » is dominated by a thick (1–5 km), cyclic succession of coastal plain and coastal deposits, which accumulated in a humid-tropical climatic setting. This study focuses on the Pleistocene to Recent (500 m thick) succession, which comprises a range of seismic facies analysis of the two-dimensional (2D) seismic sections, mainly reflecting changes in fluvial channel style and river architecture. The succession has been divided into four seismic units (Unit S1-S4), bounded by basin-wide strata surfaces. Two types of boundaries have been identified: 1) a boundary that is defined by a regionally-extensive erosion surface at the base of a prominent incised valley (S3 and S4); 2) a sequence boundary that is defined by more weakly-incised, straight and low-sinuosity channels which is interpreted as low-stand alluvial bypass channel systems (S1 and S2). Each unit displays a predictable vertical change of the channel pattern and scale, with wide low-sinuosity channels at the base passing gradationally upwards into narrow high-sinuosity channels at the top. The wide variation in channel style and size is interpreted to be controlled mainly by the sea-level fluctuations on the widely flat Sunda land Platform.« less

Reducing disk storage of full-3D seismic waveform tomography (F3DT) through lossy online compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindstrom, Peter; Chen, Po; Lee, En-Jui

2016-08-01

Full-3D seismic waveform tomography (F3DT) is the latest seismic tomography technique that can assimilate broadband, multi-component seismic waveform observations into high-resolution 3D subsurface seismic structure models. The main drawback in the current F3DT implementation, in particular the scattering-integral implementation (F3DT-SI), is the high disk storage cost and the associated I/O overhead of archiving the 4D space-time wavefields of the receiver- or source-side strain tensors. The strain tensor fields are needed for computing the data sensitivity kernels, which are used for constructing the Jacobian matrix in the Gauss-Newton optimization algorithm. In this study, we have successfully integrated a lossy compression algorithm into our F3DT-SI workflow to significantly reduce the disk space for storing the strain tensor fields. The compressor supports a user-specified tolerance for bounding the error, and can be integrated into our finite-difference wave-propagation simulation code used for computing the strain fields. The decompressor can be integrated into the kernel calculation code that reads the strain fields from the disk and compute the data sensitivity kernels. During the wave-propagation simulations, we compress the strain fields before writing them to the disk. To compute the data sensitivity kernels, we read the compressed strain fields from the disk and decompress them before using them in kernel calculations. Experiments using a realistic dataset in our California statewide F3DT project have shown that we can reduce the strain-field disk storage by at least an order of magnitude with acceptable loss, and also improve the overall I/O performance of the entire F3DT-SI workflow significantly. The integration of the lossy online compressor may potentially open up the possibilities of the wide adoption of F3DT-SI in routine seismic tomography practices in the near future.

Reducing Disk Storage of Full-3D Seismic Waveform Tomography (F3DT) Through Lossy Online Compression

DOE PAGES

Lindstrom, Peter; Chen, Po; Lee, En-Jui

2016-05-05

Full-3D seismic waveform tomography (F3DT) is the latest seismic tomography technique that can assimilate broadband, multi-component seismic waveform observations into high-resolution 3D subsurface seismic structure models. The main drawback in the current F3DT implementation, in particular the scattering-integral implementation (F3DT-SI), is the high disk storage cost and the associated I/O overhead of archiving the 4D space-time wavefields of the receiver- or source-side strain tensors. The strain tensor fields are needed for computing the data sensitivity kernels, which are used for constructing the Jacobian matrix in the Gauss-Newton optimization algorithm. In this study, we have successfully integrated a lossy compression algorithmmore » into our F3DT SI workflow to significantly reduce the disk space for storing the strain tensor fields. The compressor supports a user-specified tolerance for bounding the error, and can be integrated into our finite-difference wave-propagation simulation code used for computing the strain fields. The decompressor can be integrated into the kernel calculation code that reads the strain fields from the disk and compute the data sensitivity kernels. During the wave-propagation simulations, we compress the strain fields before writing them to the disk. To compute the data sensitivity kernels, we read the compressed strain fields from the disk and decompress them before using them in kernel calculations. Experiments using a realistic dataset in our California statewide F3DT project have shown that we can reduce the strain-field disk storage by at least an order of magnitude with acceptable loss, and also improve the overall I/O performance of the entire F3DT-SI workflow significantly. The integration of the lossy online compressor may potentially open up the possibilities of the wide adoption of F3DT-SI in routine seismic tomography practices in the near future.« less

Environmental considerations for 3D seismic in Louisianna wetlands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Browning, G.; Dillane, T.; Baaren, P. van

1996-11-01

Louisiana swamps have been host to seismic crews for many years. Results from recent 3D surveys indicate that well planned and executed seismic operations have a minimal and short term impact in these environmentally sensitive wetlands. Pre-planning identifies challenges that require use of improved technology and work procedures. These include multi-channel radio telemetry recording systems, ramming of dynamite and hydrophones as opposed to drilling, DGPS positioning and coordinated use of Airboats, buggies and helicopters. In addition to minimal environmental impact, increased data quality, reduced cost and shorter project duration have been achieved as a result of these efforts. Unlike 2Dmore » surveys, where profile positioning is flexible, 3D surveys involve high density coverage over many square miles operated by numerous personnel. Survey design includes minimizing repeated traffic and crossing points. Survey operations require environmental participation and commitment from every person involved in the project. This includes a thorough orientation and training program with strong emphasis on environmental sensitivity and awareness. Close co-ordination between regulatory agencies, clients and the contractor is a key factor in all aspects of the survey planning and operation. Benefits from these efforts are significant, measurable and continue to improve.« less

Local seismic hazard assessment in explosive volcanic settings by 3D numerical analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razzano, Roberto; Pagliaroli, Alessandro; Moscatelli, Massimiliano; Gaudiosi, Iolanda; Avalle, Alessandra; Giallini, Silvia; Marcini, Marco; Polpetta, Federica; Simionato, Maurizio; Sirianni, Pietro; Sottili, Gianluca; Vignaroli, Gianluca; Bellanova, Jessica; Calamita, Giuseppe; Perrone, Angela; Piscitelli, Sabatino

2017-04-01

This work deals with the assessment of local seismic response in the explosive volcanic settings by reconstructing the subsoil model of the Stracciacappa maar (Sabatini Volcanic District, central Italy), whose pyroclastic succession records eruptive phases ended about 0.09 Ma ago. Heterogeneous characteristics of the Stracciacappa maar (stratification, structural setting, lithotypes, and thickness variation of depositional units) make it an ideal case history for understanding mechanisms and processes leading to modifications of amplitude-frequency-duration of seismic waves generated at earthquake sources and propagating through volcanic settings. New geological map and cross sections, constrained with recently acquired geotechnical and geophysical data, illustrate the complex geometric relationships among different depositional units forming the maar. A composite interfingering between internal lacustrine sediments and epiclastic debris, sourced from the rim, fills the crater floor; a 45 meters thick continuous coring borehole was drilled in the maar with sampling of undisturbed samples. Electrical Resistivity Tomography surveys and 2D passive seismic arrays were also carried out for constraining the geological model and the velocity profile of the S-waves, respectively. Single station noise measurements were collected in order to define natural amplification frequencies. Finally, the nonlinear cyclic soil behaviour was investigated through simple shear tests on the undisturbed samples. The collected dataset was used to define the subsoil model for 3D finite difference site response numerical analyses by using FLAC 3D software (ITASCA). Moreover, 1D and 2D numerical analyses were carried out for comparison purposes. Two different scenarios were selected as input motions: a moderate magnitude (volcanic event) and a high magnitude (tectonic event). Both earthquake scenarios revealed significant ground motion amplification (up to 15 in terms of spectral acceleration

Structure and Velocities of the Northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains and the Western Santa Clara Valley, California, from the SCSI-LR Seismic Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Catchings, R.D.; Goldman, M.R.; Gandhok, G.

2006-01-01

earthquakes sources. As one component of these joint studies, the U. S. Geological Survey acquired more than 28 km of combined seismic reflection/refraction data from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the central Santa Clara Valley in December 2000. The seismic investigation included both high-resolution (~5-m shot and sensor spacing) and relatively lower-resolution (~50-m sensor) seismic surveys from the central Santa Cruz Mountains to the central part of the valley. Collectively, we refer to these seismic investigations as the 2000 western Santa Clara Seismic Investigations (SCSI).

Interpretation of shallow crustal structure of the Imperial Valley, California, from seismic reflection profiles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Severson, L.K.

1987-05-01

Eight seismic reflection profiles (285 km total length) from the Imperial Valley, California, were provided to CALCRUST for reprocessing and interpretation. Two profiles were located along the western margin of the valley, five profiles were situated along the eastern margin and one traversed the deepest portion of the basin. These data reveal that the central basin contains a wedge of highly faulted sediments that thins to the east. Most of the faulting is strike-slip but there is evidence for block rotations on the scale of 5 to 10 kilometers within the Brawley Seismic Zone. These lines provide insight into themore » nature of the east and west edges of the Imperial Valley. The basement at the northwestern margin of the valley, to the north of the Superstition Hills, has been normal-faulted and blocks of basement material have ''calved'' into the trough. A blanket of sediments has been deposited on this margin. To the south of the Superstition Hills and Superstition Mountain, the top of the basement is a detachment surface that dips gently into the basin. This margin is also covered by a thick sequence sediments. The basement of the eastern margin consists of metamorphic rocks of the upper plate of the Chocolate Mountain Thrust system underlain by the Orocopia Schist. These rocks dip to the southeast and extend westward to the Sand Hills Fault but do not appear to cross it. Thus, the Sand Hills Fault is interpreted to be the southern extension of the San Andreas Fault. North of the Sand Hills Fault the East Highline Canal seismicity lineament is associated with a strike-slip fault and is probably linked to the Sand Hills Fault. Six geothermal areas crossed by these lines, in agreement with previous studies of geothermal reservoirs, are associated with ''faded'' zones, Bouguer gravity and heat flow maxima, and with higher seismic velocities than surrounding terranes.« less

First results on the crustal structure of the Natal Valley from combined wide-angle and reflection seismic data (MOZ3/5 cruise), South Mozambique Margin.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leprêtre, Angélique; Verrier, Fanny; Evain, Mikael; Schnurle, Philippe; Watremez, Louise; Aslanian, Daniel; de Clarens, Philippe; Dias, Nuno; Afilhado, Alexandra; Leroy, Sylvie; d'Acremont, Elia; Castilla, Raymi; Moulin, Maryline

2017-04-01

The Natal valley (South Mozambique margin) is a key area for the understanding of the SW Indian Ocean history since the Gondwana break-up, and widely, the structure of a margin system at the transition between divergent and strike-slip segments. As one part of the PAMELA project (PAssive Margins Exploration Laboratories), conducted by TOTAL, IFREMER, in collaboration with Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Université Rennes 1, Université Pierre and Marie Curie, CNRS et IFPEN, the Natal Valley and the East Limpopo margin have been explored during the MOZ3/5 cruise (2016), conducted onboard the R/V Pourquoi Pas?, through the acquisition of 7 wide-angle profiles and coincident marine multichannel (720 traces) seismic as well as potential field data. Simultaneously, land seismometers were deployed in the Mozambique coastal plains, extending six of those profiles on land for about 100 km in order to provide information on the onshore-offshore transition. Wide-angle seismic data are of major importance as they can provide constrains on the crustal structure of the margin and the position of the continent-ocean boundary in an area where the crustal nature is poorly known and largely controversial. The aim of this work is to present the first results on the crustal structure from P-waves velocity modeling along two perpendicular MZ1 & MZ7 wide-angle profiles crossing the Natal Valley in an E-W and NNW-SSE direction respectively, which reveal a crust up to 30 km thick below the Natal Valley and thus raises questions of a purely oceanic origin of the Valley. The post-doc of Angélique Leprêtre is co-funded by TOTAL and IFREMER as part of the PAMELA (Passive Margin Exploration Laboratories) scientific project.

Integration of 2D and 3D reflection seismic data with deep boreholes in the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE deposit, northern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koivisto, Emilia; Malehmir, Alireza; Voipio, Teemu; Wijns, Chris

2013-04-01

Kevitsa is a large disseminated sulphide Ni-Cu-PGE deposit hosted by the Kevitsa mafic-ultramafic intrusion in northern Finland and dated as about 2.06 Ga old. The Geological Survey of Finland first discovered the Kevitsa deposit in 1987. Open pit mining by Kevitsa Mining Oy/First Quantum Minerals Ltd. commenced in June 2012. The final pit depth is planned to be 550-600 m. The estimated ore reserves of the Kevitsa intrusion are about 240 million tones (using a nickel cut-off grade of 0.1%). The expected life-of-mine is 20-30 years. More than 400 hundred holes have been drilled in the Kevitsa area, but most are concentrated close to the known deposit and do not provide a comprehensive understanding of the extent of the intrusion. The basal contact of the intrusion is penetrated by only about 30 drill holes, most of which are shallow. A better knowledge of the geometry of the intrusion would provide a framework for near-mine and deep exploration in the area. An exact knowledge on the basal contact of the intrusion would also provide an exploration target for the contact-type mineralization that is often more massive and richer in Ni-Cu. In December 2007, a series of 2D reflection seismic profiles was acquired in the Kevitsa area. It consisted of four connected survey lines between 6 and 11 km long. In 2010, the initial positive results of the 2D seismic survey led Kevitsa Mining Oy/First Quantum Minerals Ltd. to initiate a 3D reflection seismic survey. The 3D seismic survey is limited to the closer vicinity of the known deposit, while the 2D seismic survey was designed to provide a more regional view of the Kevitsa intrusive complex. The main aims of the 2D and 3D seismic surveys were to delineate the shape and extent of the ore-bearing Kevitsa intrusion and the geometry of some of the host rock and surrounding units, and extract information about the larger-scale structures and structures important for mine-planning purposes. The 2D and 3D seismic data were used to

3-D Characterization of Seismic Properties at the Smart Weapons Test Range, YPG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Richard D.; Anderson, Thomas S.; Davis, John C.; Steeples, Don W.; Moran, Mark L.

2001-10-01

The Smart Weapons Test Range (SWTR) lies within the Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), Arizona. SWTR is a new facility constructed specifically for the development and testing of futuristic intelligent battlefield sensor networks. In this paper, results are presented for an extensive high-resolution geophysical characterization study at the SWTR site along with validation using 3-D modeling. In this study, several shallow seismic methods and novel processing techniques were used to generate a 3-D grid of earth seismic properties, including compressional (P) and shear (S) body-wave speeds (Vp and Vs), and their associated body-wave attenuation parameters (Qp, and Qs). These experiments covered a volume of earth measuring 1500 m by 300 m by 25 m deep (11 million cubic meters), centered on the vehicle test track at the SWTR site. The study has resulted in detailed characterizations of key geophysical properties. To our knowledge, results of this kind have not been previously achieved, nor have the innovative methods developed for this effort been reported elsewhere. In addition to supporting materiel developers with important geophysical information at this test range, the data from this study will be used to validate sophisticated 3-D seismic signature models for moving vehicles.

Present-Day Mars' Seismicity Predicted From 3-D Thermal Evolution Models of Interior Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plesa, A.-C.; Knapmeyer, M.; Golombek, M. P.; Breuer, D.; Grott, M.; Kawamura, T.; Lognonné, P.; Tosi, N.; Weber, R. C.

2018-03-01

The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission, to be launched in 2018, will perform a comprehensive geophysical investigation of Mars in situ. The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure package aims to detect global and regional seismic events and in turn offer constraints on core size, crustal thickness, and core, mantle, and crustal composition. In this study, we estimate the present-day amount and distribution of seismicity using 3-D numerical thermal evolution models of Mars, taking into account contributions from convective stresses as well as from stresses associated with cooling and planetary contraction. Defining the seismogenic lithosphere by an isotherm and assuming two end-member cases of 573 K and the 1073 K, we determine the seismogenic lithosphere thickness. Assuming a seismic efficiency between 0.025 and 1, this thickness is used to estimate the total annual seismic moment budget, and our models show values between 5.7 × 1016 and 3.9 × 1019 Nm.

High Resolution Near Surface 3D Seismic Experiments: A Carbonate Platform vs. a Siliciclastic Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippidou, N.; Drijkoningen, G.; Braaksma, H.; Verwer, K.; Kenter, J.

2005-05-01

Interest in high-resolution 3D seismic experiments for imaging shallow targets has increased over the past years. Many case studies presented, show that producing clear seismic images with this non-evasive method, is still a challenge. We use two test-sites where nearby outcrops are present so that an accurate geological model can be built and the seismic result validated. The first so-called natural field laboratory is located in Boulonnais (N. France). It is an upper Jurassic siliciclastic sequence; age equivalent of the source rock of N. Sea. The second one is located in Cap Blanc,to the southwest of the Mallorca island(Spain); depicting an excellent example of Miocene prograding reef platform (Llucmajor Platform); it is a textbook analog for carbonate reservoirs. In both cases, the multidisciplinary experiment included the use of multicomponent and quasi- or 3D seismic recordings. The target depth does not exceed 120m. Vertical and shear portable vibrators were used as source. In the center of the setups, boreholes were drilled and Vertical Seismic Profiles were shot, along with core and borehole measurements both in situ and in the laboratory. These two geologically different sites, with different seismic stratigraphy have provided us with exceptionally high resolution seismic images. In general seismic data was processed more or less following standard procedures, a few innovative techniques on the Mallorca data, as rotation of horizontal components, 3D F-K filter and addition of parallel profiles, have improved the seismic image. In this paper we discuss the basic differences as seen on the seismic sections. The Boulonnais data present highly continuous reflection patterns of extremenly high resolution. This facilitated a high resolution stratigraphic description. Results from the VSP showed substantial wave energy attenuation. However, the high-fold (330 traces ) Mallorca seismic experiment returned a rather discontinuous pattern of possible reflectors

Method for identifying subsurface fluid migration and drainage pathways in and among oil and gas reservoirs using 3-D and 4-D seismic imaging

DOEpatents

Anderson, R.N.; Boulanger, A.; Bagdonas, E.P.; Xu, L.; He, W.

1996-12-17

The invention utilizes 3-D and 4-D seismic surveys as a means of deriving information useful in petroleum exploration and reservoir management. The methods use both single seismic surveys (3-D) and multiple seismic surveys separated in time (4-D) of a region of interest to determine large scale migration pathways within sedimentary basins, and fine scale drainage structure and oil-water-gas regions within individual petroleum producing reservoirs. Such structure is identified using pattern recognition tools which define the regions of interest. The 4-D seismic data sets may be used for data completion for large scale structure where time intervals between surveys do not allow for dynamic evolution. The 4-D seismic data sets also may be used to find variations over time of small scale structure within individual reservoirs which may be used to identify petroleum drainage pathways, oil-water-gas regions and, hence, attractive drilling targets. After spatial orientation, and amplitude and frequency matching of the multiple seismic data sets, High Amplitude Event (HAE) regions consistent with the presence of petroleum are identified using seismic attribute analysis. High Amplitude Regions are grown and interconnected to establish plumbing networks on the large scale and reservoir structure on the small scale. Small scale variations over time between seismic surveys within individual reservoirs are identified and used to identify drainage patterns and bypassed petroleum to be recovered. The location of such drainage patterns and bypassed petroleum may be used to site wells. 22 figs.

Method for identifying subsurface fluid migration and drainage pathways in and among oil and gas reservoirs using 3-D and 4-D seismic imaging

DOEpatents

Anderson, Roger N.; Boulanger, Albert; Bagdonas, Edward P.; Xu, Liqing; He, Wei

1996-01-01

The invention utilizes 3-D and 4-D seismic surveys as a means of deriving information useful in petroleum exploration and reservoir management. The methods use both single seismic surveys (3-D) and multiple seismic surveys separated in time (4-D) of a region of interest to determine large scale migration pathways within sedimentary basins, and fine scale drainage structure and oil-water-gas regions within individual petroleum producing reservoirs. Such structure is identified using pattern recognition tools which define the regions of interest. The 4-D seismic data sets may be used for data completion for large scale structure where time intervals between surveys do not allow for dynamic evolution. The 4-D seismic data sets also may be used to find variations over time of small scale structure within individual reservoirs which may be used to identify petroleum drainage pathways, oil-water-gas regions and, hence, attractive drilling targets. After spatial orientation, and amplitude and frequency matching of the multiple seismic data sets, High Amplitude Event (HAE) regions consistent with the presence of petroleum are identified using seismic attribute analysis. High Amplitude Regions are grown and interconnected to establish plumbing networks on the large scale and reservoir structure on the small scale. Small scale variations over time between seismic surveys within individual reservoirs are identified and used to identify drainage patterns and bypassed petroleum to be recovered. The location of such drainage patterns and bypassed petroleum may be used to site wells.

An efficient implementation of 3D high-resolution imaging for large-scale seismic data with GPU/CPU heterogeneous parallel computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jincheng; Liu, Wei; Wang, Jin; Liu, Linong; Zhang, Jianfeng

2018-02-01

De-absorption pre-stack time migration (QPSTM) compensates for the absorption and dispersion of seismic waves by introducing an effective Q parameter, thereby making it an effective tool for 3D, high-resolution imaging of seismic data. Although the optimal aperture obtained via stationary-phase migration reduces the computational cost of 3D QPSTM and yields 3D stationary-phase QPSTM, the associated computational efficiency is still the main problem in the processing of 3D, high-resolution images for real large-scale seismic data. In the current paper, we proposed a division method for large-scale, 3D seismic data to optimize the performance of stationary-phase QPSTM on clusters of graphics processing units (GPU). Then, we designed an imaging point parallel strategy to achieve an optimal parallel computing performance. Afterward, we adopted an asynchronous double buffering scheme for multi-stream to perform the GPU/CPU parallel computing. Moreover, several key optimization strategies of computation and storage based on the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) were adopted to accelerate the 3D stationary-phase QPSTM algorithm. Compared with the initial GPU code, the implementation of the key optimization steps, including thread optimization, shared memory optimization, register optimization and special function units (SFU), greatly improved the efficiency. A numerical example employing real large-scale, 3D seismic data showed that our scheme is nearly 80 times faster than the CPU-QPSTM algorithm. Our GPU/CPU heterogeneous parallel computing framework significant reduces the computational cost and facilitates 3D high-resolution imaging for large-scale seismic data.

Salton Seismic Imaging Project Line 6: San Andreas Fault and Northern Coachella Valley Structure, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catchings, R. D.; Fuis, G.; Rymer, M. J.; Goldman, M.; Tarnowski, J. M.; Hole, J. A.; Stock, J. M.; Matti, J. C.

2012-12-01

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) is a large-scale, active- and passive-source seismic project designed to image the San Andreas fault (SAF) and adjacent basins (Imperial and Coachella Valleys) in southernmost California. Data and preliminary results from many of the seismic profiles are reported elsewhere (including Fuis et al., Rymer et al., Goldman et al., Langenheim et al., this meeting). Here, we focus on SSIP Line 6, one of four 2-D seismic profiles that were acquired across the Coachella Valley. The 44-km-long, SSIP-Line-6 seismic profile extended from the east flank of Mt. San Jacinto northwest of Palm Springs to the Little San Bernardino Mountains and crossed the SAF (Mission Creek (MCF), Banning (BF), and Garnet Hill (GHF) strands) roughly normal to strike. Data were generated by 10 downhole explosive sources (most spaced about 3 to 5 km apart) and were recorded by approximately 347 Texan seismographs (average spacing 126 m). We used first-arrival refractions to develop a P-wave refraction tomography velocity image of the upper crust along the seismic profile. The seismic data were also stacked and migrated to develop low-fold reflection images of the crust. From the surface to about 7 km depth, P-wave velocities range from about 2.5 km/s to about 7.2 km/s, with the lowest velocities within an ~2-km-deep, ~20-km-wide basin, and the highest velocities below the transition zone from the Coachella Valley to Mt. San Jacinto and within the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The BF and GHF strands bound a shallow sub-basin on the southwestern side of the Coachella Valley, but the underlying shallow-depth (~4 km) basement rocks are P-wave high in velocity (~7.2 km/s). The lack of a low-velocity zone beneath BF and GHF suggests that both faults dip northeastward. In a similar manner, high-velocity basement rocks beneath the Little San Bernardino Mountains suggest that the MCF dips vertically or southwestward. However, there is a pronounced low-velocity zone

Common features and peculiarities of the seismic activity at Phlegraean Fields, Long Valley, and Vesuvius

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marzocchi, W.; Vilardo, G.; Hill, D.P.; Ricciardi, G.P.; Ricco, C.

2001-01-01

We analyzed and compared the seismic activity that has occurred in the last two to three decades in three distinct volcanic areas: Phlegraean Fields, Italy; Vesuvius, Italy; and Long Valley, California. Our main goal is to identify and discuss common features and peculiarities in the temporal evolution of earthquake sequences that may reflect similarities and differences in the generating processes between these volcanic systems. In particular, we tried to characterize the time series of the number of events and of the seismic energy release in terms of stochastic, deterministic, and chaotic components. The time sequences from each area consist of thousands of earthquakes that allow a detailed quantitative analysis and comparison. The results obtained showed no evidence for either deterministic or chaotic components in the earthquake sequences in Long Valley caldera, which appears to be dominated by stochastic behavior. In contrast, earthquake sequences at Phlegrean Fields and Mount Vesuvius show a deterministic signal mainly consisting of a 24-hour periodicity. Our analysis suggests that the modulation in seismicity is in some way related to thermal diurnal processes, rather than luni-solar tidal effects. Independently from the process that generates these periodicities on the seismicity., it is suggested that the lack (or presence) of diurnal cycles is seismic swarms of volcanic areas could be closely linked to the presence (or lack) of magma motion.

Fast 3D elastic micro-seismic source location using new GPU features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Qingfeng; Wang, Yibo; Chang, Xu

2016-12-01

In this paper, we describe new GPU features and their applications in passive seismic - micro-seismic location. Locating micro-seismic events is quite important in seismic exploration, especially when searching for unconventional oil and gas resources. Different from the traditional ray-based methods, the wave equation method, such as the method we use in our paper, has a remarkable advantage in adapting to low signal-to-noise ratio conditions and does not need a person to select the data. However, because it has a conspicuous deficiency due to its computation cost, these methods are not widely used in industrial fields. To make the method useful, we implement imaging-like wave equation micro-seismic location in a 3D elastic media and use GPU to accelerate our algorithm. We also introduce some new GPU features into the implementation to solve the data transfer and GPU utilization problems. Numerical and field data experiments show that our method can achieve a more than 30% performance improvement in GPU implementation just by using these new features.

Gas Hydrate Characterization from a 3D Seismic Dataset in the Eastern Deepwater Gulf of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McConnell, Dan

The presence of a gas hydrate petroleum system and seismic attributes derived from 3D seismic data are used for the identification and characterization of gas hydrate deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico. In the central deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM), logging while drilling (LWD) data provided insight to the amplitude response of gas hydrate saturation in sands, which could be used to characterize complex gas hydrate deposits in other sandy deposits. In this study, a large 3D seismic data set from equivalent and distal Plio-Pleistocene sandy channel deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico is screened formore » direct hydrocarbon indicators for gas hydrate saturated sands.« less

Imaging the Alpine Fault: preliminary results from a detailed 3D-VSP experiment at the DFDP-2 drill site in Whataroa, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lay, Vera; Bodenburg, Sascha; Buske, Stefan; Townend, John; Kellett, Richard; Savage, Martha; Schmitt, Douglas; Constantinou, Alexis; Eccles, Jennifer; Lawton, Donald; Hall, Kevin; Bertram, Malcolm; Gorman, Andrew

2017-04-01

The plate-bounding Alpine Fault in New Zealand is an 850 km long transpressive continental fault zone that is late in its earthquake cycle. The Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) aims to deliver insight into the geological structure of this fault zone and its evolution by drilling and sampling the Alpine Fault at depth. Previously analysed 2D reflection seismic data image the main Alpine Fault reflector at a depth of 1.5-2.2 km with a dip of approximately 48° to the southeast below the DFDP-2 borehole. Additionally, there are indications of a more complex 3D fault structure with several fault branches which have not yet been clearly imaged in detail. For that reason we acquired a 3D-VSP seismic data set at the DFDP-2 drill site in January 2016. A zero-offset VSP and a walk-away VSP survey were conducted using a Vibroseis source. Within the borehole, a permanently installed "Distributed Acoustic Fibre Optic Cable" (down to 893 m) and a 3C Sercel slimwave tool (down to 400 m) were used to record the seismic wavefield. In addition, an array of 160 three-component receivers with a spacing of 10 m perpendicular and 20 m parallel to the main strike of the Alpine Fault was set up and moved successively along the valley to record reflections from the main Alpine Fault zone over a broad depth range and to derive a detailed 3D tomographic velocity model in the hanging wall. We will show a detailed 3D velocity model derived from first-arrival traveltime tomography. Subsets of the whole data set were analysed separately to estimate the corresponding ray coverage and the reliability of the observed features in the obtained velocity model. By testing various inversion parameters and starting models, we derived a detailed near-surface velocity model that reveals the significance of the old glacial valley structures. Hence, this new 3D model improves the velocity model derived previously from a 2D seismic profile line in that area. Furthermore, processing of the dense 3C data

3D morphometry of valley networks on Mars from HRSC/MEX DEMs: Implications for climatic evolution through time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansan, V.; Mangold, N.

2013-09-01

valley networks have been identified mainly in the Noachian heavily cratered uplands. Eight dense branching valley networks were studied in Noachian terrains of Huygens, Newcomb and Kepler craters, south Tyrrhena Terra, and Thaumasia, in Hesperian terrains of Echus Plateau and west Eberswalde craters, and in Amazonian terrains of Alba Patera, using images and digital elevation models from the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera to determine 2D and 3D morphometric parameters. Extracted geomorphic parameters show similar geometry to terrestrial valleys: drainage densities, organization from bifurcation ratios and lengths ratios, Hack exponent consistent with terrestrial values of ~0.6, and progressive deepening of valleys with increasing Strahler order. In addition, statistics on valley depths indicate a deeper incision of Noachian valleys compared to younger post-Noachian valleys (<25 m for Amazonian ones compared to >100 m for Noachian ones), showing a strong difference in fluvial erosion. These characteristics show that dense Martian valley networks formed by overland flows in relation to a global atmospheric water cycle in Noachian epoch and confirm that the later stages of activity may be related to shorter duration of activity, distinct climatic conditions, and/or regional processes, or conditions.

Method for inverting reflection trace data from 3-D and 4-D seismic surveys and identifying subsurface fluid and pathways in and among hydrocarbon reservoirs based on impedance models

DOEpatents

He, W.; Anderson, R.N.

1998-08-25

A method is disclosed for inverting 3-D seismic reflection data obtained from seismic surveys to derive impedance models for a subsurface region, and for inversion of multiple 3-D seismic surveys (i.e., 4-D seismic surveys) of the same subsurface volume, separated in time to allow for dynamic fluid migration, such that small scale structure and regions of fluid and dynamic fluid flow within the subsurface volume being studied can be identified. The method allows for the mapping and quantification of available hydrocarbons within a reservoir and is thus useful for hydrocarbon prospecting and reservoir management. An iterative seismic inversion scheme constrained by actual well log data which uses a time/depth dependent seismic source function is employed to derive impedance models from 3-D and 4-D seismic datasets. The impedance values can be region grown to better isolate the low impedance hydrocarbon bearing regions. Impedance data derived from multiple 3-D seismic surveys of the same volume can be compared to identify regions of dynamic evolution and bypassed pay. Effective Oil Saturation or net oil thickness can also be derived from the impedance data and used for quantitative assessment of prospective drilling targets and reservoir management. 20 figs.

Method for inverting reflection trace data from 3-D and 4-D seismic surveys and identifying subsurface fluid and pathways in and among hydrocarbon reservoirs based on impedance models

DOEpatents

He, Wei; Anderson, Roger N.

1998-01-01

A method is disclosed for inverting 3-D seismic reflection data obtained from seismic surveys to derive impedance models for a subsurface region, and for inversion of multiple 3-D seismic surveys (i.e., 4-D seismic surveys) of the same subsurface volume, separated in time to allow for dynamic fluid migration, such that small scale structure and regions of fluid and dynamic fluid flow within the subsurface volume being studied can be identified. The method allows for the mapping and quantification of available hydrocarbons within a reservoir and is thus useful for hydrocarbon prospecting and reservoir management. An iterative seismic inversion scheme constrained by actual well log data which uses a time/depth dependent seismic source function is employed to derive impedance models from 3-D and 4-D seismic datasets. The impedance values can be region grown to better isolate the low impedance hydrocarbon bearing regions. Impedance data derived from multiple 3-D seismic surveys of the same volume can be compared to identify regions of dynamic evolution and bypassed pay. Effective Oil Saturation or net oil thickness can also be derived from the impedance data and used for quantitative assessment of prospective drilling targets and reservoir management.

Gas hydrate characterization from a 3D seismic dataset in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McConnell, Daniel; Haneberg, William C.

Principal component analysis of spectral decomposition results combined with amplitude and frequency seismic attributes derived from 3D seismic data are used for the identification and characterization of gas hydrate deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico. In the central deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM), logging while drilling LWD data provided insight to the amplitude response of gas hydrate saturation in sands, which could be used to characterize complex gas hydrate deposits in other sandy deposits. In this study, a large 3D seismic data set from equivalent and distal Plio Pleistocene sandy channel deposits in the deepwater eastern Gulf ofmore » Mexico is screened for direct hydrocarbon indicators for gas hydrate saturated sands.« less

Distribution of free gas and 3D mirror image structures beneath Sevastopol mud volcano, Black sea, from 3D high resolution wide-angle seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krabbenhoeft, A.; Papenberg, C. A.; Klaeschen, D.; Bialas, J.

2016-12-01

The goal of this study is to image the sub-seafloor structure beneath the Sevastopol mud volcano (SMV), Sorokin Trough, SE of the Crimean peninsula, Black Sea. The focus lies on structures of/within the feeder channel, the distribution of gas and gas hydrates, and their relation to fluid migration zones in sediments. This study concentrates on a 3D high resolution seismic grid (7 km x 2.5 km) recorded with 13 ocean bottom stations (OBS). The 3D nature of the experiment results from the geometry of 68 densely spaced (25/50 m) profiles, as well as the cubical configuration of the densely spaced receivers on the seafloor ( 300 m station spacing). The seismic profiles are typically longer than 6 km which results in large offsets for the reflections of the OBS. This enables the study of the seismic velocities of the sub-seafloor sediments and additionally large offset incident analysis.The 3D Kirchhoff mirror image time migration, applied to all OBS sections including all shots from all profiles, leads to a spatial image of the sub-seafloor. Here, the migration was applied with the velocity distribution of 1.49 km/s in the water column, 1.5 km/s below the seafloor (bsf) increasing to 2 km/s for the deeper sediments at 2 s bsf. Acoustic blanking occurs beneath the south-easterly located OBS and is associated with the feeder channel of the mud volcano. There, gas from depth can vertically migrate to the seafloor and on its way to the surface horizontally distribute patchily within sediment layers. High amplitude reflections are not observed as continuous reflections, but in a patchy distribution. They are associated with accumulations of gas. Also structures exist within the feeder channel of the SMV.3D mirror imaging proves to be a good tool to seismically image structures compared with 2D streamer seismics, especially steep dipping reflectors and structures which are otherwise obscured by signal scattering, i.e structures associated with fluid migration paths.

Co- and post-seismic deformation for the 2014 Napa Valley Earthquake from Sentinel-1A interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, J. R.; Wright, T. J.; Elliott, A. J.; González, P. J.; Hooper, A. J.; Larsen, Y.; Marinkovic, P.; Plain, M.; Walters, R. J.

2014-12-01

Here we present analysis of co- and post-seismic deformation for the 24 August 2014 Napa Valley Earthquake derived from Sentinel-1A interferometry. We use these to derive the co-seismic slip distribution and map the evolution of post-seismic afterslip. The 24 August 2014 Napa Valley earthquake was the first earthquake for which surface deformation was measured by Sentinel-1A, a new radar satellite launched by the European Space Agency on 3 April 2014, and operated by the European Commission's Copernicus program. Sentinel-1A reached its final operational orbit on 7 August, and fortuitously acquired a pre-earthquake image of the San Francisco Bay area on that day in StripMap mode. By comparing it with an image acquired on 31 August, we formed a co-seismic interferogram, which reveals the surface deformation that occurred during the earthquake and the first 7 days of the post-seismic period. We use this to constrain a simple elastic model of the co-seismic slip distribution; preliminary inversion results show that the slip at depth reached a peak of >1.5 m at a depth of ~4 km. Following the earthquake, Sentinel-1A has acquired further acquisitions in both StripMap and Interferometric Wide Swath modes. The first 12-day post-seismic StripMap interferogram shows a sharp discontinuity along the entire fault rupture, consistent with field observations of rapid afterslip. We will use the full time series from August to December to measure the spatio-temporal behaviour of the afterslip, and discuss the implications for the frictional properties of the fault. The results from Napa point to an exciting and impactful future for the Sentinel-1 radar constellation. By mid-2014, Sentinel-1A will be acquiring data systematically over all the seismic belts, and the launch of Sentinel-1B in 2016 will increase the temporal frequency of acquisitions. The data will be available free of charge and will transform our ability to conduct tectonic geodesy, particularly in remote areas of the

Multi-azimuth 3D Seismic Exploration and Processing in the Jeju Basin, the Northern East China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Youngho; Kang, Moohee; Kim, Jin-Ho; Kim, Kyong-O.

2015-04-01

Multi-azimuth(MAZ) 3D seismic exploration is one of the most advanced seismic survey methods to improve illumination and multiple attenuation for better image of the subsurface structures. 3D multi-channel seismic data were collected in two phases during 2012, 2013, and 2014 in Jeju Basin, the northern part of the East China Sea Basin where several oil and gas fields were discovered. Phase 1 data were acquired at 135° and 315° azimuths in 2012 and 2013 comprised a full 3D marine seismic coverage of 160 km2. In 2014, phase 2 data were acquired at the azimuths 45° and 225°, perpendicular to those of phase 1. These two datasets were processed through the same processing workflow prior to velocity analysis and merged to one MAZ dataset. We performed velocity analysis on the MAZ dataset as well as two phases data individually and then stacked these three datasets separately. We were able to pick more accurate velocities in the MAZ dataset compare to phase 1 and 2 data while velocity picking. Consequently, the MAZ seismic volume provide us better resolution and improved images since different shooting directions illuminate different parts of the structures and stratigraphic features.

Microseismic monitoring of soft-rock landslide: contribution of a 3D velocity model for the location of seismic sources.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floriane, Provost; Jean-Philippe, Malet; Cécile, Doubre; Julien, Gance; Alessia, Maggi; Agnès, Helmstetter

2015-04-01

Characterizing the micro-seismic activity of landslides is an important parameter for a better understanding of the physical processes controlling landslide behaviour. However, the location of the seismic sources on landslides is a challenging task mostly because of (a) the recording system geometry, (b) the lack of clear P-wave arrivals and clear wave differentiation, (c) the heterogeneous velocities of the ground. The objective of this work is therefore to test whether the integration of a 3D velocity model in probabilistic seismic source location codes improves the quality of the determination especially in depth. We studied the clay-rich landslide of Super-Sauze (French Alps). Most of the seismic events (rockfalls, slidequakes, tremors...) are generated in the upper part of the landslide near the main scarp. The seismic recording system is composed of two antennas with four vertical seismometers each located on the east and west sides of the seismically active part of the landslide. A refraction seismic campaign was conducted in August 2014 and a 3D P-wave model has been estimated using the Quasi-Newton tomography inversion algorithm. The shots of the seismic campaign are used as calibration shots to test the performance of the different location methods and to further update the 3D velocity model. Natural seismic events are detected with a semi-automatic technique using a frequency threshold. The first arrivals are picked using a kurtosis-based method and compared to the manual picking. Several location methods were finally tested. We compared a non-linear probabilistic method coupled with the 3D P-wave model and a beam-forming method inverted for an apparent velocity. We found that the Quasi-Newton tomography inversion algorithm provides results coherent with the original underlaying topography. The velocity ranges from 500 m.s-1 at the surface to 3000 m.s-1 in the bedrock. For the majority of the calibration shots, the use of a 3D velocity model

Near-Surface Structure and Velocities of the Northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains and the Western Santa Clara Valley, California, From Seismic Imaging

USGS Publications Warehouse

Catchings, R.D.; Gandhok, G.; Goldman, M.R.; Steedman, Clare

2007-01-01

Introduction The Santa Clara Valley (SCV) is located in the southern San Francisco Bay area of California and is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains to the southwest, the Diablo Ranges to the northeast, and the San Francisco Bay to the north (Fig. 1). The SCV, which includes the City of San Jose, numerous smaller cities, and much of the high-technology manufacturing and research area commonly referred to as the Silicon Valley, has a population in excess of 1.7 million people (2000 U. S. Census;http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06085.html The SCV is situated between major active faults of the San Andreas Fault system, including the San Andreas Fault to the southwest and the Hayward and Calaveras faults to the northeast, and other faults inferred to lie beneath the alluvium of the SCV (CWDR, 1967; Bortugno et al., 1991). The importance of the SCV as a major industrial center, its large population, and its proximity to major earthquake faults are important considerations with respect to earthquake hazards and water-resource management. The fault-bounded alluvial aquifer system beneath the valley is the source of about one-third of the water supply for the metropolitan area (Hanson et al., 2004). To better address the earthquake hazards of the SCV, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken a program to evaluate potential seismic sources, the effects of strong ground shaking, and stratigraphy associated with the regional aquifer system. As part of that program and to better understand water resources of the valley, the USGS and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) began joint studies to characterize the faults, stratigraphy, and structures beneath the SCV in the year 2000. Such features are important to both agencies because they directly influence the availability and management of groundwater resources in the valley, and they affect the severity and distribution of strong shaking from local and regional earthquakes sources that may affect

Sensitivity Tests Between Vs30 and Detailed Shear Wave Profiles Using 1D and 3D Site Response Analysis, Las Vegas Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Loyd Travis

Site characterization is an essential aspect of hazard analysis and the time-averaged shear-wave velocity to 30 m depth "Vs30" for site-class has become a critical parameter in site-specific and probabilistic hazard analysis. Yet, the general applicability of Vs30 can be ambiguous and much debate and research surround its application. In 2007, in part to mitigate the uncertainty associated with the use of Vs30 in Las Vegas Valley, the Clark County Building Department (CCBD) in collaboration with the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) embarked on an endeavor to map Vs30 using a geophysical methods approach for a site-class microzonation map of over 500 square miles (1500 km2) in southern Nevada. The resulting dataset, described by Pancha et al. (2017), contains over 10,700 1D shear-wave-velocity-depth profiles (SWVP) that constitute a rich database of 3D shear-wave velocity structure that is both laterally and vertical heterogenous. This study capitalizes on the uniquely detailed and spatially dense CCBD database to carry out sensitivity tests on the detailed shear-wave-velocity-profiles and the Vs30 utilizing 1D and 3D site-response approaches. Sensitivity tests are derived from the 1D oscillator response of a single-degree-of-freedom-oscillator and from 3D finite-difference deterministic simulations up to 15 Hz frequency using similar model parameters. Results demonstrate that the detailed SWVP are amplifying ground motions by roughly 50% over the simple Vs30 models, above 4.6 Hz frequency. Numerical simulations also depict significant lateral resonance, focusing, and scattering from seismic energy attributed to the 3D small-scale heterogeneities of the shear-wave-velocity profiles that result in a 70% increase in peak ground velocity. Additionally, PGV ratio maps clearly establish that the increased amplification from the detailed SWVPs is consistent throughout the model space. As a corollary, this study demonstrates the use of finite-differencing numerical

Effect of 3-D viscoelastic structure on post-seismic relaxation from the 2004 M = 9.2 Sumatra earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pollitz, F.; Banerjee, P.; Grijalva, K.; Nagarajan, B.; Burgmann, R.

2008-01-01

The 2004 M=9.2 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake profoundly altered the state of stress in a large volume surrounding the ???1400 km long rupture. Induced mantle flow fields and coupled surface deformation are sensitive to the 3-D rheology structure. To predict the post-seismic motions from this earthquake, relaxation of a 3-D spherical viscoelastic earth model is simulated using the theory of coupled normal modes. The quasi-static deformation basis set and solution on the 3-D model is constructed using: a spherically stratified viscoelastic earth model with a linear stress-strain relation; an aspherical perturbation in viscoelastic structure; a 'static'mode basis set consisting of Earth's spheroidal and toroidal free oscillations; a "viscoelastic" mode basis set; and interaction kernels that describe the coupling among viscoelastic and static modes. Application to the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake illustrates the profound modification of the post-seismic flow field at depth by a slab structure and similarly large effects on the near-field post-seismic deformation field at Earth's surface. Comparison with post-seismic GPS observations illustrates the extent to which viscoelastic relaxation contributes to the regional post-seismic deformation. ?? Journal compilation ?? 2008 RAS.

Mega-pockmarks surrounding IODP Site U1414: Insights from the CRISP 3D seismic survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nale, S. M.; Kluesner, J. W.; Silver, E. A.; Bangs, N. L.; McIntosh, K. D.; Ranero, C. R.

2013-12-01

Visualization of neural network meta-attribute analyses reveals fluid migration pathways associated with mega-pockmarks within the CRISP 3D seismic volume offshore southern Costa Rica, near site U1414 of IODP Expedition 344. A 245km2 field of mega-pockmarks was imaged on the Cocos Ridge using EM122 multibeam bathymetry, backscatter and 3D seismic reflection aboard R/V Marcus G. Langseth during the 2011 CRISP seismic survey. We utilize the OpendTect software package to calculate supervised neural network meta-attributes within the 3D seismic volume, in order to detect and visualize probable faults and fluid-migration pathways within the sedimentary section of the incoming Cocos plate [see Kluesner et al., this meeting]. Pockmarks imaged within the 3D volume near the trench commonly show a two-tier structure with upper pockmarks located above the steep walls of deeper, older pockmarks. The latter appear to truncate surrounding strata, including widespread high-amplitude reverse polarity reflectors (RPRs), interpreted as trapping horizons. In addition, RPRs are also truncated by positive polarity crosscutting reflections (CCRs), most of which form the base and sides of lens-like structures below the RPRs that are frequently located next to imaged pockmarks. Site U1414 intersects one of these lens-like structures and this appears to correlate to a sharp density and porosity swing observed at ~255 mbsf. In addition, preliminary geochemical analyses from site U1414 show evidence of lateral fluid flow through sediments below the RPR [Expedition 344 Scientists, 2013]. Thus, we interpret the 3D lens-like structures to be pockets of trapped gas and/or over-pressured fluid. Based on 3D imaging we propose a 3-stage pockmark evolution: (1) Overpressure and blowout along RPRs, resulting in pockmark formation, (2) sustained seepage along pockmark walls, resulting in preferential deposition near the center of the pockmark, and (3) rapid burial as pockmarks near the trench axis. On

High-resolution seismic reflection/refraction imaging from Interstate 10 to Cherry Valley Boulevard, Cherry Valley, Riverside County, California: implications for water resources and earthquake hazards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gandhok, G.; Catchings, R.D.; Goldman, M.R.; Horta, E.; Rymer, M.J.; Martin, P.; Christensen, A.

1999-01-01

This report is the second of two reports on seismic imaging investigations conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during the summers of 1997 and 1998 in the Cherry Valley area in California (Figure 1a). In the first report (Catchings et al., 1999), data and interpretations were presented for four seismic imaging profiles (CV-1, CV-2, CV-3, and CV-4) acquired during the summer of 1997 . In this report, we present data and interpretations for three additional profiles (CV-5, CV-6, and CV-7) acquired during the summer of 1998 and the combined seismic images for all seven profiles. This report addresses both groundwater resources and earthquake hazards in the San Gorgonio Pass area because the shallow (upper few hundred meters) subsurface stratigraphy and structure affect both issues. The cities of Cherry Valley and Beaumont are located approximately 130 km (~80 miles) east of Los Angeles, California along the southern alluvial fan of the San Bernardino Mountains (see Figure 1b). These cities are two of several small cities that are located within San Gorgonio Pass, a lower-lying area between the San Bernardino and the San Jacinto Mountains. Cherry Valley and Beaumont are desert cities with summer daytime temperatures often well above 100 o F. High water usage in the arid climate taxes the available groundwater supply in the region, increasing the need for efficient management of the groundwater resources. The USGS and the San Gorgonio Water District (SGWD) work cooperatively to evaluate the quantity and quality of groundwater supply in the San Gorgonio Pass region. To better manage the water supplies within the District during wet and dry periods, the SGWD sought to develop a groundwater recharge program, whereby, excess water would be stored in underground aquifers during wet periods (principally winter months) and retrieved during dry periods (principally summer months). The SGWD preferred a surface recharge approach because it could be less expensive than a

3D Seismic Imaging over a Potential Collapse Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gritto, Roland; O'Connell, Daniel; Elobaid Elnaiem, Ali; Mohamed, Fathelrahman; Sadooni, Fadhil

2016-04-01

The Middle-East has seen a recent boom in construction including the planning and development of complete new sub-sections of metropolitan areas. Before planning and construction can commence, however, the development areas need to be investigated to determine their suitability for the planned project. Subsurface parameters such as the type of material (soil/rock), thickness of top soil or rock layers, depth and elastic parameters of basement, for example, comprise important information needed before a decision concerning the suitability of the site for construction can be made. A similar problem arises in environmental impact studies, when subsurface parameters are needed to assess the geological heterogeneity of the subsurface. Environmental impact studies are typically required for each construction project, particularly for the scale of the aforementioned building boom in the Middle East. The current study was conducted in Qatar at the location of a future highway interchange to evaluate a suite of 3D seismic techniques in their effectiveness to interrogate the subsurface for the presence of karst-like collapse structures. The survey comprised an area of approximately 10,000 m2 and consisted of 550 source- and 192 receiver locations. The seismic source was an accelerated weight drop while the geophones consisted of 3-component 10 Hz velocity sensors. At present, we analyzed over 100,000 P-wave phase arrivals and performed high-resolution 3-D tomographic imaging of the shallow subsurface. Furthermore, dispersion analysis of recorded surface waves will be performed to obtain S-wave velocity profiles of the subsurface. Both results, in conjunction with density estimates, will be utilized to determine the elastic moduli of the subsurface rock layers.

Computer power fathoms the depths: billion-bit data processors illuminate the subsurface. [3-D Seismic techniques

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ross, J.J.

Some of the same space-age signal technology being used to track events 200 miles above the earth is helping petroleum explorationists track down oil and natural gas two miles and more down into the earth. The breakthroughs, which have come in a technique called three-dimensional seismic work, could change the complexion of exploration for oil and natural gas. Thanks to this 3-D seismic approach, explorationists can make dynamic maps of sites miles beneath the surface. Then explorationists can throw these maps on space-age computer systems and manipulate them every which way - homing in sharply on salt domes, faults, sandsmore » and traps associated with oil and natural gas. ''The 3-D seismic scene has exploded within the last two years,'' says, Peiter Tackenberg, Marathon technical consultant who deals with both domestic and international exploration. The 3-D technique has been around for more than a decade, he notes, but recent achievements in space-age computer hardware and software have unlocked its full potential.« less

3D seismic reflection imaging of nearly amagmatic oceanic lithosphere at the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momoh, E. I.; Cannat, M.; Singh, S. C.; Watremez, L.; Leroy, S. D.

2016-12-01

Ultra-slow spreading ridges (< 10 mm/yr half-spreading rate), are characterized by a variety of mode accretion, from purely magmatic to nearly amagmatic. With the prevalence of mantle-derived peridotites and sparse volcanism on the seafloor, the easternmost portion of the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) at 64°E represents a melt-poor end-member in the global ridge system. Mantle-derived peridotites there are proposed to have been exhumed along the footwall of detachment faults (Cannat et al, 2006; Sauter et al, 2013). However, the geometry and structural styles of detachments at depth are conjectural. We show the first 3D seismic reflection images of nearly amagmatic axial oceanic lithosphere in this region. The results are from 3D processing of 2D seismic data acquired during the SISMOSMOOTH 2014 cruise along 100 m-spaced profiles in a 1.8 km wide by 24 km long box spanning the axial valley and a part of its elevated northern wall. Wide-angle tomography results from Ocean bottom Seismometer (OBS) line are used to provide a velocity structure of the crust and correlate the MCS reflection images. We image 4 classes of reflectors. The first class occurs in 2 parts as south-dipping events and can be followed in the cross-line of the survey area. The upper part terminates on the northern slope of the massif. The lower part occurs as an isolated event until half of the width of the survey area after which it appears as a continuation of the upper part. This class of reflectors may be due to the damage zone of the active axial detachment fault. The second class of reflectors occurs as north-dipping events. They extend 1 km in the cross-line. They can be interpreted as fractured zones, zones of localized serpentinization or as dikes. The third class of reflectors occurs as sub-horizontal events at depth and seems to serve as the termination of the proposed dikes/fractured zones. On the OBS result, this reflector mimics the 7.5 km/s velocity contour in

Non-periodic homogenization of 3-D elastic media for the seismic wave equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cupillard, Paul; Capdeville, Yann

2018-05-01

Because seismic waves have a limited frequency spectrum, the velocity structure of the Earth that can be extracted from seismic records has a limited resolution. As a consequence, one obtains smooth images from waveform inversion, although the Earth holds discontinuities and small scales of various natures. Within the last decade, the non-periodic homogenization method shed light on how seismic waves interact with small geological heterogeneities and `see' upscaled properties. This theory enables us to compute long-wave equivalent density and elastic coefficients of any media, with no constraint on the size, the shape and the contrast of the heterogeneities. In particular, the homogenization leads to the apparent, structure-induced anisotropy. In this paper, we implement this method in 3-D and show 3-D tests for the very first time. The non-periodic homogenization relies on an asymptotic expansion of the displacement and the stress involved in the elastic wave equation. Limiting ourselves to the order 0, we show that the practical computation of an upscaled elastic tensor basically requires (i) to solve an elastostatic problem and (ii) to low-pass filter the strain and the stress associated with the obtained solution. The elastostatic problem consists in finding the displacements due to local unit strains acting in all directions within the medium to upscale. This is solved using a parallel, highly optimized finite-element code. As for the filtering, we rely on the finite-element quadrature to perform the convolution in the space domain. We end up with an efficient numerical tool that we apply on various 3-D models to test the accuracy and the benefit of the homogenization. In the case of a finely layered model, our method agrees with results derived from Backus. In a more challenging model composed by a million of small cubes, waveforms computed in the homogenized medium fit reference waveforms very well. Both direct phases and complex diffracted waves are

3D Coupled Thermal-Hydraulic Model of the Lower Yarmouk Gorge, Jordan Rift Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walther, M.; Magri, F.; Inbar, N.; Möller, P.; Raggad, M.; Rödiger, T.; Rosenthal, E.; Shentsis, I.; Siebert, C.; Volpi, G.

2017-12-01

It is supposed that the Lower Yarmouk Gorge (LYG), in the Jordan Rift Valley acts as the mixing zone of two crossing flow pathways: N-S from the Hermon Mountains and from the Ajlun Dome, and E-W from Jebel al Arab Mountain in Syria (also known as Huran Plateau or Yarmouk drainage basin). As a result, several springs can be found within the gorge. These are characterized by widespread temperatures (20 - 60 °C) which indicate that, beside the complex regional flow, also ascending thermal waters control the hydrologic behavior of the LYG. Previous simulations based on a conceptual simplified 3D model (Magri et al., 2016) showed that crossing flow paths result from the coexistence of convection, that can develop for example along NE-SW oriented faults within the gorge or in permeable aquifers below Maastrichtian aquiclude, and additional flow fields that are induced by the N-S topographic gradients. Here we present the first 3D hydrogeological model of the entire LYG that includes structural features based on actual logs and interpreted seismic lines from both Israeli and Jordanian territories. The model distinguishes seven units from upper Eocene to the Lower Triassic, accounting for major aquifers, aquicludes and deep-cutting faults. Recharges are implemented based on the numerical representation developed by Shentsis (1990) that considers relationships between mean annual rain and topographic elevation. The model reveals that topography-driven N-S and E-W flows strongly control the location of discharge areas while the anomalous spring temperature is not necessarily linked to the presence of fault convection. Local permeability anisotropy due to aquifers folding or facies changes are features sufficient for the rising of hot fluids. Shentsis, I., 1990. Mathematical models for long-term prediction of mountainous river runoff: methods, information and results, Hydrological Sciences Journal, 35:5, 487-500 Magri, F., Möller, S., Inbar, N., Möller, P., Raggad, M., R�

3D Numerical Simulation on the Sloshing Waves Excited by the Seismic Shacking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lin; Wu, Tso-Ren

2016-04-01

In the event of 2015 Nepal earthquake, a video clip broadcasted worldwide showed a violent water spilling in a hotel swimming pool. This sloshing phenomenon indicates a potential water loss in the sensitive facilities, e.g. the spent fuel pools in nuclear power plant, has to be taken into account carefully under the consideration of seismic-induced ground acceleration. In the previous studies, the simulation of sloshing mainly focused on the pressure force on the structure by using a simplified Spring-Mass Method developed in the field of solid mechanics. However, restricted by the assumptions of plane water surface and limited wave height, significant error will be made in evaluating the amount of water loss in the tank. In this paper, the computational fluid dynamical model, Splash3D, was adopted for studying the sloshing problem accurately. Splash3D solved 3D Navier-Stokes Equation directly with Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulent closure. The Volume-of-fluid (VOF) method with piecewise linear interface calculation (PLIC) was used to track the complex breaking water surface. The time series acceleration of a design seismic was loaded to excite the water. With few restrictions from the assumptions, the accuracy of the simulation results were improved dramatically. A series model validations were conducted by compared to a 2D theoretical solution, and a 3D experimental data. Good comparisons can be seen. After the validation, we performed the simulation for considering a sloshing case in a rectangular water tank with a dimension of 12 m long, 8 m wide, 8 m deep, which contained water with 7 m in depth. The seismic movement was imported by considering time-series acceleration in three dimensions, which were about 0.5 g to 1.2 g in the horizontal directions, and 0.3 g to 1 g in the vertical direction. We focused the discussions on the kinematics of the water surface, wave breaking, velocity field, pressure field, water force on the side walls, and, most

Capabilities of seismic and georadar 2D/3D imaging of shallow subsurface of transport route using the Seismobile system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilecki, Zenon; Isakow, Zbigniew; Czarny, Rafał; Pilecka, Elżbieta; Harba, Paulina; Barnaś, Maciej

2017-08-01

In this work, the capabilities of the Seismobile system for shallow subsurface imaging of transport routes, such as roads, railways, and airport runways, in different geological conditions were presented. The Seismobile system combines the advantages of seismic profiling using landstreamer and georadar (GPR) profiling. It consists of up to four seismic measuring lines and carriage with a suspended GPR antenna. Shallow subsurface recognition may be achieved to a maximum width of 10.5 m for a distance of 3.5 m between the measurement lines. GPR measurement is performed in the axis of the construction. Seismobile allows the measurement time, labour and costs to be reduced due to easy technique of its installation, remote data transmission from geophones to accompanying measuring modules, automated location of the system based on GPS and a highly automated method of seismic wave excitation. In this paper, the results of field tests carried out in different geological conditions were presented. The methodologies of acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic and GPR measurements were broadly described. Seismograms and its spectrum registered by Seismobile system were compared to the ones registered by Geode seismograph of Geometrix. Seismic data processing and interpretation software allows for the obtaining of 2D/3D models of P- and S-wave velocities. Combined seismic and GPR results achieved sufficient imaging of shallow subsurface to a depth of over a dozen metres. The obtained geophysical information correlated with geological information from the boreholes with good quality. The results of performed tests proved the efficiency of the Seismobile system in seismic and GPR imaging of a shallow subsurface of transport routes under compound conditions.

Mount Etna: 3-D and 4-D structure using seismic tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nunn, C.; Julian, B. R.; Foulger, G. R.; Patanè, D.; Ibáñez, J. M.; Briole, P.; Mhanna, N.

2015-12-01

We investigate the time-varying structure of Etna, an active stratovolcano in eastern Sicily, using seismic tomography. In volcanic systems, it is thought that the presence of fluids, cracks and pressurized gases can rapidly and drastically change the elastic properties of the host rocks. Recent work suggests that changes beneath Etna are detectable with seismic methods, and that these changes can be linked to volcanic activity. Temporal changes to Earth structure are commonly investigated by carrying out separate tomographic inversions for different epochs. However, repeated inversions of the same area are expected to vary, even if the structure itself does not change. This is due to variations in the seismic ray distribution and to observational errors. Potentially, changes between epochs which are due to experimental limitations can be misinterpreted as changes to the structure of the volcano. Consequently, we use a new tomographic program, TOMO4D, that inverts multiple data sets simultaneously [Julian & Foulger, Time-dependent seismic tomography, GJI, 2010]. This code imposes constraints which minimise the differences calculated between two epochs. The remaining structural variations are thus truly required to fit the data, and reflect changes which almost certainly exist between the two epochs. We have selected and relocated ~400 local earthquakes with at least 5 P and 5 S observations. They cover a period which includes several eruptions, from 1st November 2000 to 31st December 2006. We divide our data into different epochs and invert two epochs simultaneously. The models show a seismically fast central region, surrounded by a slower outer region. This suggests a central system of dykes or sills surrounded by volcanic sediments and country rock. At depths of 0-4 km below sea level the seismically fast region is not below the summit crater but is offset to the southwest. By monitoring the changes to the elastic parameters of the host rocks we observe temporal

Rock formation characterization for CO2-EOR and carbon geosequestration; 3D seismic amplitude and coherency anomalies, Wellington Field, Kansas, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ohl, D.; Raef, A.; Watnef, L.; Bhattacharya, S.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a workflow for a Mississipian carbonates characterization case-study integrating post-stack seismic attributes, well-logs porosities, and seismic modeling to explore relating changes in small-scale "lithofacies" properties and/or sub-seismic resolution faulting to key amplitude and coherency 3D seismic attributes. The main objective of this study is to put emphasis on reservoir characterization that is both optimized for and subsequently benefiting from pilot tertiary CO2-EOR in preparation for future carbon geosequestration in a depleting reservoir and a deep saline aquifer. The extracted 3D seismic coherency attribute indicated anomalous features that can be interpreted as a lithofacies change or a sub-seismic resolution faulting. A 2D finite difference modeling has been undertaken to understand and potentially build discriminant attributes to map structural and/or lithofacies anomalies of interest especially when embarking upon CO2-EOR and/or carbon sequestration monitoring and management projects. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEISVIZ3D: Stereoscopic system for the representation of seismic data - Interpretation and Immersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Hartmann, Hartwig; Rilling, Stefan; Bogen, Manfred; Thomas, Rüdiger

2015-04-01

The seismic method is a valuable tool for getting 3D-images from the subsurface. Seismic data acquisition today is not only a topic for oil and gas exploration but is used also for geothermal exploration, inspections of nuclear waste sites and for scientific investigations. The system presented in this contribution may also have an impact on the visualization of 3D-data of other geophysical methods. 3D-seismic data can be displayed in different ways to give a spatial impression of the subsurface.They are a combination of individual vertical cuts, possibly linked to a cubical portion of the data volume, and the stereoscopic view of the seismic data. By these methods, the spatial perception for the structures and thus of the processes in the subsurface should be increased. Stereoscopic techniques are e. g. implemented in the CAVE and the WALL, both of which require a lot of space and high technical effort. The aim of the interpretation system shown here is stereoscopic visualization of seismic data at the workplace, i.e. at the personal workstation and monitor. The system was developed with following criteria in mind: • Fast rendering of large amounts of data so that a continuous view of the data when changing the viewing angle and the data section is possible, • defining areas in stereoscopic view to translate the spatial impression directly into an interpretation, • the development of an appropriate user interface, including head-tracking, for handling the increased degrees of freedom, • the possibility of collaboration, i.e. teamwork and idea exchange with the simultaneous viewing of a scene at remote locations. The possibilities offered by the use of a stereoscopic system do not replace a conventional interpretation workflow. Rather they have to be implemented into it as an additional step. The amplitude distribution of the seismic data is a challenge for the stereoscopic display because the opacity level and the scaling and selection of the data have to

Shallow Crustal Structure in the Northern Salton Trough, California: Insights from a Detailed 3-D Velocity Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajala, R.; Persaud, P.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.; Hole, J. A.; Goldman, M.; Scheirer, D. S.

2017-12-01

The Coachella Valley is the northern extent of the Gulf of California-Salton Trough. It contains the southernmost segment of the San Andreas Fault (SAF) for which a magnitude 7.8 earthquake rupture was modeled to help produce earthquake planning scenarios. However, discrepancies in ground motion and travel-time estimates from the current Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) velocity model of the Salton Trough highlight inaccuracies in its shallow velocity structure. An improved 3-D velocity model that better defines the shallow basin structure and enables the more accurate location of earthquakes and identification of faults is therefore essential for seismic hazard studies in this area. We used recordings of 126 explosive shots from the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) to SSIP receivers and Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) stations. A set of 48,105 P-wave travel time picks constituted the highest-quality input to a 3-D tomographic velocity inversion. To improve the ray coverage, we added network-determined first arrivals at SCSN stations from 39,998 recently relocated local earthquakes, selected to a maximum focal depth of 10 km, to develop a detailed 3-D P-wave velocity model for the Coachella Valley with 1-km grid spacing. Our velocity model shows good resolution ( 50 rays/cubic km) down to a minimum depth of 7 km. Depth slices from the velocity model reveal several interesting features. At shallow depths ( 3 km), we observe an elongated trough of low velocity, attributed to sediments, located subparallel to and a few km SW of the SAF, and a general velocity structure that mimics the surface geology of the area. The persistence of the low-velocity sediments to 5-km depth just north of the Salton Sea suggests that the underlying basement surface, shallower to the NW, dips SE, consistent with interpretation from gravity studies (Langenheim et al., 2005). On the western side of the Coachella Valley, we detect depth-restricted regions of

Holistic Overview of the Contribution of Tectonic, Geomorphic, and Geologic Factors to the Seismic Hazard of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banda, S.; Chang, A.; Sanquini, A.; Hilley, G. E.

2013-12-01

Nepal has been a seismically active region since the mid-Eocene collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. It can be divided into four major tectonostratigraphic units. The Lesser Himalayan Zone, where Kathmandu Valley is located, is bounded to the south by the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and to the north by the Main Central Thrust (MCT). These faults, and the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) traverse the NW-SE length of Nepal and sole into the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). Slip along these structures during the Plio-Quaternary has ponded sediment in the interior of the orogen, producing the nearly circular Kathmandu Basin, which hosts a series of radially converging rivers that exit the basin to the south. The sediment that is ponded within the basin consists of alluvial, lacustrine and debris flow deposits that are ~500 m thick. The faults in the vicinity of the Kathmandu Valley currently serve as potential earthquake sources. Sources that might plausibly be generated by these faults are constrained by structural, paleoseismic, and geodetic observations. The continued collision between India and Tibet is reflected in a convergence rate of about 20 mm/yr, as measured by Global Positioning System (GPS) geodetic networks. Strain accumulates on the MHT, and is released during large earthquakes. The epicenter of the 1934 (M8.2) earthquake, about 175 km to the east of Kathmandu, resulted in MMI VIII- IX shaking intensity in the Kathmandu Valley. Seismic waves generated from faults in proximity to Kathmandu may be amplified or attenuated at particular locations due to specific site responses that reflect the geologic framework of the Kathmandu Valley. The ponded sediments within the Kathmandu Basin may contribute to basin effects, trapping seismic waves and prolonging ground motion, as well as increasing the amplitude of the waves as they travel from crystalline outer rocks into the soft lake-bed sediments. A hazard analysis suggests that a M8.0 earthquake originating in the

Impact of Topography on Seismic Amplification During the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, S.; van der Meijde, M.; van der Werff, H.; Shafique, M.

2016-12-01

This study assesses topographic amplification of seismic response during the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake in northern Pakistan. Topography scatters seismic waves, which causes variation in seismic response on the surface of the earth. During the Kashmir earthquake, topography induced amplification was suspected to have had major influence on the damage of infrastructure. We did a 3-dimensional simulation of the event using SPECFEM3D software. We first analyzed the impact of data resolution (mesh and Digital Elevation Model) on the derived seismic response. ASTER GDEM elevation data was used to build a 3D finite element mesh, and the parameters (latitude, longitude, depth, moment tensor) of the Kashmir earthquake were used in simulating the event. Our results show amplification of seismic response on ridges and de-amplification in valleys. It was also found that slopes facing away from the source receive an amplified seismic response when compared to slopes facing towards the source. The PGD would regularly fall within the range 0.23-5.8 meters. The topographic amplification causes local changes in the range of -2.50 to +3.50 meters; causing the PGD to fall in the range of 0.36-7.85 meters.

Well log analysis to assist the interpretation of 3-D seismic data at Milne Point, north slope of Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, Myung W.

2005-01-01

In order to assess the resource potential of gas hydrate deposits in the North Slope of Alaska, 3-D seismic and well data at Milne Point were obtained from BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc. The well-log analysis has three primary purposes: (1) Estimate gas hydrate or gas saturations from the well logs; (2) predict P-wave velocity where there is no measured P-wave velocity in order to generate synthetic seismograms; and (3) edit P-wave velocities where degraded borehole conditions, such as washouts, affected the P-wave measurement significantly. Edited/predicted P-wave velocities were needed to map the gas-hydrate-bearing horizons in the complexly faulted upper part of 3-D seismic volume. The estimated gas-hydrate/gas saturations from the well logs were used to relate to seismic attributes in order to map regional distribution of gas hydrate inside the 3-D seismic grid. The P-wave velocities were predicted using the modified Biot-Gassmann theory, herein referred to as BGTL, with gas-hydrate saturations estimated from the resistivity logs, porosity, and clay volume content. The effect of gas on velocities was modeled using the classical Biot-Gassman theory (BGT) with parameters estimated from BGTL.

Land 3D-seismic data: Preprocessing quality control utilizing survey design specifications, noise properties, normal moveout, first breaks, and offset

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raef, A.

2009-01-01

The recent proliferation of the 3D reflection seismic method into the near-surface area of geophysical applications, especially in response to the emergence of the need to comprehensively characterize and monitor near-surface carbon dioxide sequestration in shallow saline aquifers around the world, justifies the emphasis on cost-effective and robust quality control and assurance (QC/QA) workflow of 3D seismic data preprocessing that is suitable for near-surface applications. The main purpose of our seismic data preprocessing QC is to enable the use of appropriate header information, data that are free of noise-dominated traces, and/or flawed vertical stacking in subsequent processing steps. In this article, I provide an account of utilizing survey design specifications, noise properties, first breaks, and normal moveout for rapid and thorough graphical QC/QA diagnostics, which are easy to apply and efficient in the diagnosis of inconsistencies. A correlated vibroseis time-lapse 3D-seismic data set from a CO2-flood monitoring survey is used for demonstrating QC diagnostics. An important by-product of the QC workflow is establishing the number of layers for a refraction statics model in a data-driven graphical manner that capitalizes on the spatial coverage of the 3D seismic data. ?? China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Springer-Verlag GmbH 2009.

Fluid Substitution Modeling to Determine Sensitivity of 3D Vertical Seismic Profile Data to Injected CO­2­ at an active Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Project, Farnsworth field, TX.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haar, K. K.; Balch, R. S.

2015-12-01

The Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration monitors a CO2 capture, utilization and storage project at Farnsworth field, TX. The reservoir interval is a Morrowan age fluvial sand deposited in an incised valley. The sands are between 10 to 25m thick and located about 2800m below the surface. Primary oil recovery began in 1958 and by the late 1960's secondary recovery through waterflooding was underway. In 2009, Chaparral Energy began tertiary recovery using 100% anthropogenic CO2 sourced from an ethanol and a fertilizer plant. This constitutes carbon sequestration and fulfills the DOE's initiative to determine the best approach to permanent carbon storage. One purpose of the study is to understand CO­2 migration from injection wells. CO2­ plume spatial distribution for this project is analyzed with the use of time-lapse 3D vertical seismic profiles centered on CO2 injection wells. They monitor raypaths traveling in a single direction compared to surface seismic surveys with raypaths traveling in both directions. 3D VSP surveys can image up to 1.5km away from the well of interest, exceeding regulatory requirements for maximum plume extent by a factor of two. To optimize the timing of repeat VSP acquisition, the sensitivity of the 3D VSP surveys to CO2 injection was analyzed to determine at what injection volumes a seismic response to the injected CO­2 will be observable. Static geologic models were generated for pre-CO2 and post-CO2 reservoir states through construction of fine scale seismic based geologic models, which were then history matched via flow simulations. These generated static states of the model, where CO2­ replaces oil and brine in pore spaces, allow for generation of impedance volumes which when convolved with a representative wavelet generate synthetic seismic volumes used in the sensitivity analysis. Funding for the project is provided by DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under Award No. DE-FC26-05NT42591.

Preliminary Results of Crustal Structure beneath the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone Using Teleseismic Receiver Functions and Ambient Noise Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, L.; Aziz Zanjani, A.; Hu, S.; Liu, Y.; Herrmann, R. B.; Conder, J. A.

2015-12-01

As part of a on-going EarthScope FlexArray project, we deployed 45 broadband seismographs in a 300-km-long linear profile across the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ). Here we present preliminary results of crustal structure beneath WVSZ based on teleseismic receiver functions and ambient noise tomography. We combined waveform data of the temporary stations in 2014 with those of permanent seismic stations and the transportable array stations in our study area since 2011. We found 656 teleseismic events with clear P-wave signals and obtained 2657 good-quality receiver functions of 84 stations using a time-domain iterative deconvolution method. We estimated crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio beneath each station using the H-κ stacking method. A high-resolution crustal structural image along the linear profile was obtained using the Common-Conversion-Point (CCP) stacking method. We also measured Rayleigh-wave phase and group velocities from 5 to 50 s by cross-correlating ambient noises between stations and did joint-inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersions for S-velocity structures beneath selected stations. The results show that the average crustal thickness in the region is 47 km with a gentle increase of crustal thickness from southeast to northwest. A mid-crustal interface is identified in the CCP image that also deepens from 15 km in the southeastern end to >20 km in the northwest. The CCP image shows that the low-velocity sedimentary layer along the profile is broad and is thickest (~10 km) near the center of the Wabash Valley. Beneath the center of the Valley there is a 40-km-wide positive velocity discontinuity at a depth of 40 km in the lower crust that might be the top of a rift pillow in this failed continental rift. Further results using 3D joint inversion and CCP migration will be presented at the meeting.

Seismic waves in 3-D: from mantle asymmetries to reliable seismic hazard assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panza, Giuliano F.; Romanelli, Fabio

2014-10-01

A global cross-section of the Earth parallel to the tectonic equator (TE) path, the great circle representing the equator of net lithosphere rotation, shows a difference in shear wave velocities between the western and eastern flanks of the three major oceanic rift basins. The low-velocity layer in the upper asthenosphere, at a depth range of 120 to 200 km, is assumed to represent the decoupling between the lithosphere and the underlying mantle. Along the TE-perturbed (TE-pert) path, a ubiquitous LVZ, about 1,000-km-wide and 100-km-thick, occurs in the asthenosphere. The existence of the TE-pert is a necessary prerequisite for the existence of a continuous global flow within the Earth. Ground-shaking scenarios were constructed using a scenario-based method for seismic hazard analysis (NDSHA), using realistic and duly validated synthetic time series, and generating a data bank of several thousands of seismograms that account for source, propagation, and site effects. Accordingly, with basic self-organized criticality concepts, NDSHA permits the integration of available information provided by the most updated seismological, geological, geophysical, and geotechnical databases for the site of interest, as well as advanced physical modeling techniques, to provide a reliable and robust background for the development of a design basis for cultural heritage and civil infrastructures. Estimates of seismic hazard obtained using the NDSHA and standard probabilistic approaches are compared for the Italian territory, and a case-study is discussed. In order to enable a reliable estimation of the ground motion response to an earthquake, three-dimensional velocity models have to be considered, resulting in a new, very efficient, analytical procedure for computing the broadband seismic wave-field in a 3-D anelastic Earth model.

Cash value of 3-D seismic to a producing field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bligh, R.; Thompson, S.

1996-05-01

Recent years have produced many reservoir management examples guided by seismic where clear value in excess of cost can be demonstrated. One of these examples was a 3-D survey recorded in the winter of 1994 over the Wytch Farm oil field in southern England, operated by BP on behalf of a consortium, including Arco, Clyda, Premier, Goal and Purbeck. A joint BP-CGG case history of this survey was presented at the 1995 SEG Convention in Houston and will be repeated at the 1996 AAPG Convention in San Diego. A brief summary is provided in this paper.

1D Seismic reflection technique to increase depth information in surface seismic investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camilletti, Stefano; Fiera, Francesco; Umberto Pacini, Lando; Perini, Massimiliano; Prosperi, Andrea

2017-04-01

1D seismic methods, such as MASW Re.Mi. and HVSR, have been extensively used in engineering investigations, bedrock research, Vs profile and to some extent for hydrologic applications, during the past 20 years. Recent advances in equipment, sound sources and computer interpretation techniques, make 1D seismic methods highly effective in shallow subsoil modeling. Classical 1D seismic surveys allows economical collection of subsurface data however they fail to return accurate information for depths greater than 50 meters. Using a particular acquisition technique it is possible to collect data that can be quickly processed through reflection technique in order to obtain more accurate velocity information in depth. Furthermore, data processing returns a narrow stratigraphic section, alongside the 1D velocity model, where lithological boundaries are represented. This work will show how collect a single-CMP to determine: (1) depth of bedrock; (2) gravel layers in clayey domains; (3) accurate Vs profile. Seismic traces was processed by means a new software developed in collaboration with SARA electronics instruments S.r.l company, Perugia - ITALY. This software has the great advantage of being able to be used directly in the field in order to reduce the times elapsing between acquisition and processing.

Imaging of 3-D seismic velocity structure of Southern Sumatra region using double difference tomographic method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestari, Titik; Nugraha, Andri Dian

2015-04-01

Southern Sumatra region has a high level of seismicity due to the influence of the subduction system, Sumatra fault, Mentawai fault and stretching zone activities. The seismic activities of Southern Sumatra region are recorded by Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (MCGA's) Seismograph network. In this study, we used earthquake data catalog compiled by MCGA for 3013 events from 10 seismic stations around Southern Sumatra region for time periods of April 2009 - April 2014 in order to invert for the 3-D seismic velocities structure (Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratio). We applied double-difference seismic tomography method (tomoDD) to determine Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs ratio with hypocenter adjustment. For the inversion procedure, we started from the initial 1-D seismic velocity model of AK135 and constant Vp/Vs of 1.73. The synthetic travel time from source to receiver was calculated using ray pseudo-bending technique, while the main tomographic inversion was applied using LSQR method. The resolution model was evaluated using checkerboard test and Derivative Weigh Sum (DWS). Our preliminary results show low Vp and Vs anomalies region along Bukit Barisan which is may be associated with weak zone of Sumatran fault and migration of partial melted material. Low velocity anomalies at 30-50 km depth in the fore arc region may indicated the hydrous material circulation because the slab dehydration. We detected low seismic seismicity in the fore arc region that may be indicated as seismic gap. It is coincides contact zone of high and low velocity anomalies. And two large earthquakes (Jambi and Mentawai) also occurred at the contact of contrast velocity.

Imaging of 3-D seismic velocity structure of Southern Sumatra region using double difference tomographic method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lestari, Titik, E-mail: t2klestari@gmail.com; Faculty of Earth Science and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa No.10, Bandung 40132; Nugraha, Andri Dian, E-mail: nugraha@gf.itb.ac.id

2015-04-24

Southern Sumatra region has a high level of seismicity due to the influence of the subduction system, Sumatra fault, Mentawai fault and stretching zone activities. The seismic activities of Southern Sumatra region are recorded by Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (MCGA’s) Seismograph network. In this study, we used earthquake data catalog compiled by MCGA for 3013 events from 10 seismic stations around Southern Sumatra region for time periods of April 2009 – April 2014 in order to invert for the 3-D seismic velocities structure (Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratio). We applied double-difference seismic tomography method (tomoDD) to determine Vp, Vsmore » and Vp/Vs ratio with hypocenter adjustment. For the inversion procedure, we started from the initial 1-D seismic velocity model of AK135 and constant Vp/Vs of 1.73. The synthetic travel time from source to receiver was calculated using ray pseudo-bending technique, while the main tomographic inversion was applied using LSQR method. The resolution model was evaluated using checkerboard test and Derivative Weigh Sum (DWS). Our preliminary results show low Vp and Vs anomalies region along Bukit Barisan which is may be associated with weak zone of Sumatran fault and migration of partial melted material. Low velocity anomalies at 30-50 km depth in the fore arc region may indicated the hydrous material circulation because the slab dehydration. We detected low seismic seismicity in the fore arc region that may be indicated as seismic gap. It is coincides contact zone of high and low velocity anomalies. And two large earthquakes (Jambi and Mentawai) also occurred at the contact of contrast velocity.« less

Global and Regional 3D Tomography for Improved Seismic Event Location and Uncertainty in Explosion Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downey, N.; Begnaud, M. L.; Hipp, J. R.; Ballard, S.; Young, C. S.; Encarnacao, A. V.

2017-12-01

The SALSA3D global 3D velocity model of the Earth was developed to improve the accuracy and precision of seismic travel time predictions for a wide suite of regional and teleseismic phases. Recently, the global SALSA3D model was updated to include additional body wave phases including mantle phases, core phases, reflections off the core-mantle boundary and underside reflections off the surface of the Earth. We show that this update improves travel time predictions and leads directly to significant improvements in the accuracy and precision of seismic event locations as compared to locations computed using standard 1D velocity models like ak135, or 2½D models like RSTT. A key feature of our inversions is that path-specific model uncertainty of travel time predictions are calculated using the full 3D model covariance matrix computed during tomography, which results in more realistic uncertainty ellipses that directly reflect tomographic data coverage. Application of this method can also be done at a regional scale: we present a velocity model with uncertainty obtained using data obtained from the University of Utah Seismograph Stations. These results show a reduction in travel-time residuals for re-located events compared with those obtained using previously published models.

Seismic shaking scenarios in realistic 3D crustal model of Northern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molinari, I.; Morelli, A.; Basini, P.; Berbellini, A.

2013-12-01

Simulation of seismic wave propagation in realistic crustal structures is a fundamental tool to evaluate earthquake-generated ground shaking and assess seismic hazard. Current-generation numerical codes, and modern HPC infrastructures, allow for realistic simulations in complex 3D geologic structures. We apply such methodology to the Po Plain in Northern Italy -- a region with relatively rare earthquakes but having large property and industrial exposure, as it became clear during the two M~6 events of May 20-29, 2012. Historical seismicity is well known in this region, with maximum magnitudes estimates reaching M~7, and wave field amplitudes may be significantly amplified by the presence of the very thick sedimentary basin. Our goal is to produce estimates of expected ground shaking in Northern Italy through detailed deterministic simulations of ground motion due to expected earthquakes. We defined a three-dimensional model of the earth's crust using geo-statistical tools to merge the abundant information existing in the form of borehole data and seismic reflection profiles that had been shot in the '70s and the '80s for hydrocarbon exploration. Such information, that has been used by geologists to infer the deep structural setup, had never been merged to build a 3D model to be used for seismological simulations. We implement the model in SPECFEM3D_Cartesian and a hexahedral mesh with elements of ~2km, that allows us to simulate waves with minimum period of ~2 seconds. The model has then been optimized through comparison between simulated and recorded seismograms for the ~20 moderate-magnitude events (Mw > 4.5) that have been instrumentally recorded in the last 15 years. Realistic simulations in the frequency band of most common engineering relevance -- say, ~1 Hz -- at such a large scale would require an extremely detailed structural model, currently not available, and prohibitive computational resources. However, an interest is growing in longer period ground

3D hydrogeological model of the Lower Yarmouk Gorge, Jordan Rift Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magri, Fabien; Inbar, Nimrod; Möller, Peter; Raggad, Marwan; Rödiger, Tino; Rosenthal, Eliahu; Shentsis, Izabela; Tzoufka, Kalliopi; Siebert, Christian

2017-04-01

The Lower Yarmouk Gorge (LYG) lies on the eastern margin of the lower Jordan Rift Valley (JRV), bounded to the south by the Ajlun and to the north by the Golan Heights. It allows the outflow of the Yarmouk drainage basin and flow into the Jordan River, a few kilometers south of Lake Tiberias. The main aquifer system of the LYG is built mostly of Cretaceous sandstones and carbonates confined by Maastrichtian aquiclude. Fissures allow hydraulic connections between the major water-bearing formations from Quaternary to Upper Cretaceous age. It is supposed that the gorge acts as the mixing zone of two crossing flow pathways: N-S from the Hermon Mountains and from the Ajlun Dome, and E-W from Jebel al Arab Mountain in Syria (also known as Huran Plateau or Yarmouk drainage basin). As a result, several springs can be found within the gorge. These are characterized by widespread temperatures (20 - 60 °C) which indicate that, beside the complex regional flow, also ascending thermal waters control the hydrologic behavior of the LYG. Previous simulations based on a conceptual simplified 3D model (Magri et al., 2016) showed that crossing flow paths result from the coexistence of convection, that can develop for example along NE-SW oriented faults within the gorge or in permeable aquifers below Maastrichtian aquiclude, and additional flow fields that are induced by the N-S topographic gradients. Here we present the first 3D hydrogeological model of the entire LYG that includes structural features based on actual logs and interpreted seismic lines from both Israeli and Jordanian territories. The model distinguishes seven units from upper Eocene to the Lower Triassic, accounting for major aquifers, aquicludes and deep-cutting faults. Recharges are implemented based on the numerical representation developed by Shentsis (1990) that considers relationships between mean annual rain and topographic elevation. The model reveals that topography-driven N-S and E-W flows strongly control

Magmatic-Tectonic Interactions: Implications for Seismic Hazard Assessment in the Central Walker Lane and Long Valley Caldera Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chacko, R.; Hammond, W. C.; Blewitt, G.; Bormann, J. M.

2014-12-01

Accurate estimates of fault slip rates based on geodetic data rely on measurements that represent the long-term deformation of the crust. In the Central Walker Lane/Sierra Nevada transition, the Long Valley Caldera region has experienced multiple episodes of uplift and subsidence during the last four decades. The latest episode began in late 2011 and is detectable as a transient signal in the time series of GPS stations around the caldera. These transient signals become more apparent and reveal the extent of the impact on the ambient crustal deformation field of the Walker Lane when the velocity vectors are transformed to a Sierra-Nevada reference frame. Estimating contemporary slip-rates on faults for the purpose of seismic hazard assessment in the region around Long Valley requires detecting and subtracting the transient signals caused by the uplift and subsidence in the caldera. We estimate the geographic extent to which the ambient crustal deformation field is significantly perturbed by ongoing magmatic activity in Long Valley. We present a time variable 3D deformation field constrained by InSAR and GPS observations, and discuss the implications that tectonic-magmatic interaction have for estimates of present-day fault slip-rate. We model the time dependent deformation at Long Valley by analyzing InSAR time series from Envisat and ERS interferograms spanning a period of more than 19 years. We use an analytical volcano deformation source model derived from vertical (GPS) and line of site (InSAR) component of geodetic observations to estimate the horizontal component of the signals associated with magmatic activity beneath the caldera. Previous studies showed that the latest episode of uplift can be modeled with a Mogi source located at a depth of ~6 km with a volume change of 0.03 km3 beneath the resurgent dome. This model predicts a perturbation to the ambient crustal deformation field extending as far as 60 km from the center of the resurgent dome. Thus the

Seismic response of 3D steel buildings considering the effect of PR connections and gravity frames.

PubMed

Reyes-Salazar, Alfredo; Bojórquez, Edén; Haldar, Achintya; López-Barraza, Arturo; Rivera-Salas, J Luz

2014-01-01

The nonlinear seismic responses of 3D steel buildings with perimeter moment resisting frames (PMRF) and interior gravity frames (IGF) are studied explicitly considering the contribution of the IGF. The effect on the structural response of the stiffness of the beam-to-column connections of the IGF, which is usually neglected, is also studied. It is commonly believed that the flexibility of shear connections is negligible and that 2D models can be used to properly represent 3D real structures. The results of the study indicate, however, that the moments developed on columns of IGF can be considerable and that modeling buildings as plane frames may result in very conservative designs. The contribution of IGF to the lateral structural resistance may be significant. The contribution increases when their connections are assumed to be partially restrained (PR). The incremented participation of IGF when the stiffness of their connections is considered helps to counteract the no conservative effect that results in practice when lateral seismic loads are not considered in IGF while designing steel buildings with PMRF. Thus, if the structural system under consideration is used, the three-dimensional model should be used in seismic analysis and the IGF and the stiffness of their connections should be considered as part of the lateral resistance system.

Grizzly Valley fault system, Sierra Valley, CA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gold, Ryan; Stephenson, William; Odum, Jack; Briggs, Rich; Crone, Anthony; Angster, Steve

2012-01-01

The Grizzly Valley fault system (GVFS) strikes northwestward across Sierra Valley, California and is part of a network of active, dextral strike-slip faults in the northern Walker Lane (Figure 1). To investigate Quaternary motion across the GVFS, we analyzed high-resolution (0.25 m) airborne LiDAR data (Figure 2) in combination with six, high-resolution, P-wave, seismic-reflection profiles [Gold and others, 2012]. The 0.5- to 2.0-km-long seismic-reflection profiles were sited orthogonal to suspected tectonic lineaments identified from previous mapping and our analysis of airborne LiDAR data. To image the upper 400–700 m of subsurface stratigraphy of Sierra Valley (Figure 3), we used a 230-kg accelerated weight drop source. Geophone spacing ranged from 2 to 5 m and shots were co-located with the geophones. The profiles reveal a highly reflective, deformed basal marker that we interpret to be the top of Tertiary volcanic rocks, overlain by a 120- to 300-m-thick suite of subhorizontal reflectors we interpret as Plio-Pleistocene lacustrine deposits. Three profiles image the principle active trace of the GVFS, which is a steeply dipping fault zone that offsets the volcanic rocks and the basin fill (Figures 4 & 5).

True-triaxial experimental seismic velocities linked to an in situ 3D seismic velocity structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibbo, M.; Young, R. P.

2017-12-01

Upscaling from laboratory seismic velocities to in situ field seismic velocities is a fundamental problem in rock physics. This study presents a unique situation where a 3D velocity structure of comparable frequency ranges is available both in situ and experimentally. The in situ data comes from the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) located in Manitoba, Canada. The velocity survey and oriented, cubic rock sample, are from the 420m level of the mine, where the geology is a homogeneous and isotropic granite. The triaxial in situ stress field at this level was determined and the Mine-by tunnel was excavated horizontally to maximize borehole break out. Ultrasonic velocity measurements for P-, S1-,and S2-waves were done in the tunnel sidewall, ceiling and far-field rock mass.The geophysical imaging cell (GIC) used in this study allows for true triaxial stress (σ1 > σ2 > σ3). Velocity surveys for P-, S1-, and S2-wave can be acquired along all three axes, and therefore the effects of σ1, σ2, σ3 on the velocity-stress relationship is obtained along all 3 axes. The cubic (80 mm) granite sample was prepared oriented to the in situ principle stress axis in the field. The stress path of the sample extraction from in situ stress was modeled in FLAC 3D (by Itasca inc ), and then reapplied in the GIC to obtain the laboratory velocities at in situ stress. Both laboratory and field velocities conclude the same maximum velocity axis, within error, to be along σ2 at 5880±60 m/s for P-wave. This deviation from the expected fast axis being σ1, is believed to be caused by an aligned microcrack fabric. The theory of acoustoelasticity, the dependence of acoustic wave velocity on stresses in the propagating isotropic medium, is applied to the borehole hoop and radial stresses produced by the Mine-by tunnel. The acoustoelastic effect involves determining the linear (second-order) and nonlinear (third-order) elastic constants, which are derived from the velocity-stress slopes

Late Pleistocene and Holocene paleoseismology of an intraplate seismic zone in a large alluvial valley, the New Madrid seismic zone, Central USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guccione, Margaret J.

2005-10-01

The New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) is an intraplate right-lateral strike-slip and thrust fault system contained mostly within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The most recent earthquake sequence in the zone occurred in 1811 1812 and had estimated moment magnitudes of 7 8 (e.g., [Johnston, A.C., 1996. Seismic moment assessment of stable continental earthquakes, Part 3: 1811 1812 New Madrid, 1886 Charleston, and 1755 Lisbon. Geophysical Journal International 126, 314 344; Johnston, A.C., Schweig III, E.S, 1996. The enigma of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 1812. Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Sciences 24, 339 384; Hough, S.E., Armbruster, J.G., Seeber, L., Hough, J.F., 2000. On the modified Mercalli intensities and magnitudes of the New Madrid earthquakes. Journal of Geophysical Research 105 (B10), 23,839 23,864; Tuttle, M.P., 2001. The use of liquefaction features in paleoseismology: Lessons learned in the New Madrid seismic zone, central United States. Journal of Seismology 5, 361 380]). Four earlier prehistoric earthquakes or earthquake sequences have been dated A.D. 1450 ± 150, 900 ± 100, 300 ± 200, and 2350 B.C. ± 200 years using paleoliquefaction features, particularly those associated with native American artifacts, and in some cases surface deformation ([Craven, J. A. 1995. Paleoseismology study in the New Madrid seismic zone using geological and archeological features to constrain ages of liquefaction deposits. M.S thesis, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, U.S.A.; Tuttle, M.P., Lafferty III, R.H., Guccione, M.J., Schweig III, E.S., Lopinot, N., Cande, R., Dyer-Williams, K., Haynes, M., 1996. Use of archaeology to date liquefaction features and seismic events in the New Madrid seismic zone, central United States. Geoarchaeology 11, 451 480; Guccione, M.J., Mueller, K., Champion, J., Shepherd, S., Odhiambo, B., 2002b. Stream response to repeated co-seismic folding, Tiptonville dome, western Tennessee. Geomorphology 43(2002), 313 349; Tuttle, M

Refraction seismic studies in the Miami River, Whitewater River, and Mill Creek valleys, Hamilton and Butler Counties, Ohio

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watkins, Joel S.

1963-01-01

Between September 17 and November 9, 1962, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Ohio Division of Water, Miami Conservancy District, and c,ty of Cincinnati, Ohio, co.,:ducted a refraction seismic study in Hamilton and Butler Counties, southwest Ohio. The area lies between Hamilton, Ohio, and the Ohio River and includes a preglacial valley now occupied by portions of the Miami River, Whitewater River, and Mill Creek. The valley is partially filled with glacial debris which yields large quantities of good-quality water. The object of the study was to determine the thickness of these glacial deposits and the shape of the preglacial valley.

Preliminary results from combined wide-angle and reflection seismic data in the Natal Valley, South Mozambique margin across the Almirante Leite volcanic ridge : MZ2 profile (MOZ3/5 cruise).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verrier, Fanny; Leprêtre, Angélique; Evain, Mikael; Schnurle, Philippe; Watremez, Louise; Aslanian, Daniel; De Clarens, Philippe; Afonso Dias, Nuno; Afilhado, Alexandra; Leroy, Sylvie; d'Acremont, Elia; Castilla, Raymi; Moulin, Maryline

2017-04-01

The study of South Mozambique passive margin is essential to understand its rifting evolution and better constrain kinematic reconstructions model of the Indian Ocean. MOZ3-5 oceanographic cruises (2016) is part of the PAMELA project (PAssive Margin Exploration LAboratory), conducted by TOTAL, IFREMER, in collaboration with Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Université Rennes 1, Université Pierre and Marie Curie, CNRS et IFPEN. These campaigns allowed the acquisition of wide-angle and multichannel seismic data as well as high resolution bathymetric data, dredges, magnetic and gravimetric data. This work focuses on the deep structure of the northern segment of the Natal Valley which was investigated along a 300 km long E-W seismic transect cross-cutting the Almirante Leite volcanic ridge (MZ2 profile). The wide-angle data set is composed of 23 OBS (Ocean Bottom Seismometers) and 19 LSS (Land Seismic Station) spaced by about 12 km and 4-5 km respectively. Forward modelling of the wide-angle data led to a preliminary 2D P-waves velocity model revealing the sedimentary architecture, crustal and lithospherical structures and shallow high velocity material at the volcanic ridge. The aim of this work is to present the first results on the crustal structure from P-waves velocity modeling along the profile MZ2, in order to discuss the sedimentary sequences, the geometry and nature of the crust (oceanic or continental) as well as structures associated with volcanism, and to better understand the margin's evolution. The post-doc of Fanny Verrier is co-funded by TOTAL and IFREMER as part of the PAMELA (Passive Margin Exploration Laboratories) scientific project. Moulin, M., Aslanian, D., 2016. PAMELA-MOZ03 cruise, RV Pourquoi pas ?, http://dx.doi.org/10.17600/16001600 Moulin, M., Evain, M., 2016. PAMELA-MOZ05 cruise, RV Pourquoi pas ?, http://dx.doi.org/10.17600/16009500

Using Seismic Refraction and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to Characterize the Valley Fill in Beaver Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramer, N.; Harry, D. L.; Wohl, E. E.

2010-12-01

This study is one of the first to use near surface geophysical techniques to characterize the subsurface stratigraphy in a high alpine, low gradient valley with a past glacial history and to obtain a preliminary grasp on the impact of Holocene beaver activity. Approximately 1 km of seismic refraction data and 5 km of GPR data were collected in Beaver Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park. An asymmetric wedge of sediment ranging in depth from 0-20 m transverse to the valley profile was identified using seismic refraction. Complementary analysis of the GPR data suggests that the valley fill can be subdivided into till deposited during the Pleistocene glaciations and alluvium deposited during the Holocene. Two main facies were identified in the GPR profiles through pattern recognition. Facie Fd, which consists of chaotic discontinuous reflectors with an abundance of diffractions, is interpreted to be glacial till. Facie Fc, which is a combination of packages of complex slightly continuous reflectors interfingered with continuous horizontal to subhorizontal reflectors, is interpreted to be post-glacial alluvium and includes overbank, pond and in-channel deposits. Fc consistently overlies Fd throughout the study area and is no more than 7 m thick in the middle of the valley. The thickness of Holocene sedimentation (<7 m) is much less than the total amount of valley fill identified in the seismic refraction survey (0-20 m). A subfacie of Fc, Fch, which has reflectors with long periods was identified within Fc and is interpreted to be ponded sediments. The spatial distribution of facie Fch, along with: slight topographical features resembling buried beaver dams, a high abundance of fine sediment including silts and clays, historical records of beavers, and the name "Beaver Meadows" all suggest that Holocene beaver activity played a large role in sediment accumulation at this site, despite the lack of surficial relict beaver dams containing wood.

TOMO3D: 3-D joint refraction and reflection traveltime tomography parallel code for active-source seismic data—synthetic test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meléndez, A.; Korenaga, J.; Sallarès, V.; Miniussi, A.; Ranero, C. R.

2015-10-01

We present a new 3-D traveltime tomography code (TOMO3D) for the modelling of active-source seismic data that uses the arrival times of both refracted and reflected seismic phases to derive the velocity distribution and the geometry of reflecting boundaries in the subsurface. This code is based on its popular 2-D version TOMO2D from which it inherited the methods to solve the forward and inverse problems. The traveltime calculations are done using a hybrid ray-tracing technique combining the graph and bending methods. The LSQR algorithm is used to perform the iterative regularized inversion to improve the initial velocity and depth models. In order to cope with an increased computational demand due to the incorporation of the third dimension, the forward problem solver, which takes most of the run time (˜90 per cent in the test presented here), has been parallelized with a combination of multi-processing and message passing interface standards. This parallelization distributes the ray-tracing and traveltime calculations among available computational resources. The code's performance is illustrated with a realistic synthetic example, including a checkerboard anomaly and two reflectors, which simulates the geometry of a subduction zone. The code is designed to invert for a single reflector at a time. A data-driven layer-stripping strategy is proposed for cases involving multiple reflectors, and it is tested for the successive inversion of the two reflectors. Layers are bound by consecutive reflectors, and an initial velocity model for each inversion step incorporates the results from previous steps. This strategy poses simpler inversion problems at each step, allowing the recovery of strong velocity discontinuities that would otherwise be smoothened.

3D Seismic Experimentation and Advanced Processing/Inversion Development for Investigations of the Shallow Subsurface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levander, Alan Richard; Zelt, Colin A.

2015-03-17

The work plan for this project was to develop and apply advanced seismic reflection and wide-angle processing and inversion techniques to high resolution seismic data for the shallow subsurface to seismically characterize the shallow subsurface at hazardous waste sites as an aid to containment and cleanup activities. We proposed to continue work on seismic data that we had already acquired under a previous DoE grant, as well as to acquire additional new datasets for analysis. The project successfully developed and/or implemented the use of 3D reflection seismology algorithms, waveform tomography and finite-frequency tomography using compressional and shear waves for highmore » resolution characterization of the shallow subsurface at two waste sites. These two sites have markedly different near-surface structures, groundwater flow patterns, and hazardous waste problems. This is documented in the list of refereed documents, conference proceedings, and Rice graduate theses, listed below.« less

Wister, CA Downhole and Seismic Data

DOE Data Explorer

Akerley, John

2010-12-18

This submission contains Downhole geophysical logs associated with Wister, CA Wells 12-27 and 85-20. The logs include Spontaneous Potential (SP), HILT Caliper (HCAL), Gamma Ray (GR), Array Induction (AIT), and Neutron Porosity (NPOR) data. Also included are a well log, Injection Test, Pressure Temperature Spinner log, shut in temperature survey, a final well schematic, and files about the well's location and drilling history. This submission also contains data from a three-dimensional (3D) multi-component (3C) seismic reflection survey on the Wister Geothermal prospect area in the northern portion of the Imperial Valley, California. The Wister seismic survey area was 13.2 square miles. (Resistivity image logs (Schlumberger FMI) in 85-20 indicate that maximum horizontal stress (Shmax) is oriented NNE but that open fractures are oriented suboptimally).

Testing & Validating: 3D Seismic Travel Time Tomography (Detailed Shallow Subsurface Imaging)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marti, David; Marzan, Ignacio; Alvarez-Marron, Joaquina; Carbonell, Ramon

2016-04-01

A detailed full 3 dimensional P wave seismic velocity model was constrained by a high-resolution seismic tomography experiment. A regular and dense grid of shots and receivers was use to image a 500x500x200 m volume of the shallow subsurface. 10 GEODE's resulting in a 240 channels recording system and a 250 kg weight drop were used for the acquisition. The recording geometry consisted in 10x20m geophone grid spacing, and a 20x20 m stagered source spacing. A total of 1200 receivers and 676 source points. The study area is located within the Iberian Meseta, in Villar de Cañas (Cuenca, Spain). The lithological/geological target consisted in a Neogen sedimentary sequence formed from bottom to top by a transition from gyspum to silstones. The main objectives consisted in resolving the underground structure: contacts/discontinuities; constrain the 3D geometry of the lithology (possible cavities, faults/fractures). These targets were achieved by mapping the 3D distribution of the physical properties (P-wave velocity). The regularly space dense acquisition grid forced to acquire the survey in different stages and with a variety of weather conditions. Therefore, a careful quality control was required. More than a half million first arrivals were inverted to provide a 3D Vp velocity model that reached depths of 120 m in the areas with the highest ray coverage. An extended borehole campaign, that included borehole geophysical measurements in some wells provided unique tight constraints on the lithology an a validation scheme for the tomographic results. The final image reveals a laterally variable structure consisting of four different lithological units. In this methodological validation test travel-time tomography features a high capacity of imaging in detail the lithological contrasts for complex structures located at very shallow depths.

Impact of 3-D seismic data on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Chevron Nigeria Limited joint venture development drilling program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quam, S.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Chevron Nigeria Limited joint venture has been acquiring three-dimensional (3-D) seismic data over its concessions since 1984. To date, 1700 km[sup 2] have been recorded and processed at a cumulative cost of US $39 million. During 1991 - 1992, 20 development wells were drilled based directly on new 3-D seismic interpretations. These wells have added 148 million bbl of oil in new recoverable reserves, and to date have added 37,000 bbl/day to the joint venture's production. In addition, the 3-D interpretations have resulted in a sizable inventory of wells for future development drilling. The new 3-Dmore » interpretations provided more accurate pictures of fault patterns, fluid contacts, channel trends, stratigraphic continuity, and velocity/amplitude anomalies. In addition, the 3-D data were invaluable in designing low risk, directional well trajectories to tap relatively thin oil legs under large gas caps. Wells often were programmed to hit several objectives at their respective gas/oil contacts, resulting in maximized net oil sand pays and reducing the risk of gas production. In order to do this, directional [open quotes]sharpshooting,[close quotes] accurate depth conversion of the seismic time maps, was critical. By using the 3-D seismic, checkshot, and sonic data to develop a variable velocity space, well-top prognoses within 50 ft at depths of 6,000-10,000 ft were possible, and were key to the success of the program. As the joint venture acreage becomes more mature, development wells will be drilled for smaller numbers of stacked objectives, and sometimes for single sands. Highly accurate 3-D interpretations and depth conversions will become even more critical in order to tap thinner pay zones in a cost-effect manner.« less

Geophysical Studies Based on Gravity and Seismic Data of Tule Desert, Meadow Valley Wash, and California Wash Basins, Southern Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scheirer, Daniel S.; Page, William R.; Miller, John J.

2006-01-01

Gravity and seismic data from Tule Desert, Meadow Valley Wash, and California Wash, Nevada, provide insight into the subsurface geometry of these three basins that lie adjacent to rapidly developing areas of Clark County, Nevada. Each of the basins is the product of Tertiary extension accommodated with the general form of north-south oriented, asymmetrically-faulted half-grabens. Geophysical inversion of gravity observations indicates that Tule Desert and Meadow Valley Wash basins are segmented into subbasins by shallow, buried basement highs. In this study, basement refers to pre-Cenozoic bedrock units that underlie basins filled with Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic units. In Tule Desert, a small, buried basement high inferred from gravity data appears to be a horst whose placement is consistent with seismic reflection and magnetotelluric observations. Meadow Valley Wash consists of three subbasins separated by basement highs at structural zones that accommodated different styles of extension of the adjacent subbasins, an interpretation consistent with geologic mapping of fault traces oblique to the predominant north-south fault orientation of Tertiary extension in this area. California Wash is a single structural basin. The three seismic reflection lines analyzed in this study image the sedimentary basin fill, and they allow identification of faults that offset basin deposits and underlying basement. The degree of faulting and folding of the basin-fill deposits increases with depth. Pre-Cenozoic units are observed in some of the seismic reflection lines, but their reflections are generally of poor quality or are absent. Factors that degrade seismic reflector quality in this area are rough land topography due to erosion, deformed sedimentary units at the land surface, rock layers that dip out of the plane of the seismic profile, and the presence of volcanic units that obscure underlying reflectors. Geophysical methods illustrate that basin geometry is more

Valley-symmetric quasi-1D transport in ballistic graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hu-Jong

We present our recent studies on gate-defined valley-symmetric one-dimensional (1D) carrier guiding in ballistic monolayer graphene and valley-symmetry-protected topological 1D transport in ballistic bilayer graphene. Successful carrier guiding was realized in ballistic monolayer graphene even in the absence of a band gap by inducing a high distinction ( more than two orders of magnitude) in the carrier density between the region of a quasi-1D channel and the rest of the top-gated regions. Conductance of a channel shows quantized values in units of 4e2/ h, suggesting that the valley symmetry is preserved. For the latter, the topological 1D conduction was realized between two closely arranged insulating regions with inverted band gaps, induced under a pair of split dual gating with polarities opposite to each other. The maximum conductance along the boundary channel showed 4e2/ h, again with the preserved valley symmetry. The 1D topological carrier guiding demonstrated in this study affords a promising route to robust valleytronic applications and sophisticated valley-associated functionalities based on 2D materials. This work was funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

High-resolution 3D seismic model of the crustal and uppermost mantle structure in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grad, Marek; Polkowski, Marcin; Ostaficzuk, Stanisław R.

2016-01-01

In the area of Poland a contact between the Precambrian and Phanerozoic Europe and the Carpathians has a complicated structure and a complex P-wave velocity of the sedimentary cover, crystalline crust, Moho depth and the uppermost mantle. The geometry of the uppermost several kilometers of sediments is relatively well recognized from over 100,000 boreholes. The vertical seismic profiling (VSP) from 1188 boreholes provided detailed velocity data for regional tectonic units and for stratigraphic successions from Permian to the Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. These data, however, do not provide information about the velocity and basement depth in the central part of the Trans-European suture zone (TESZ) and in the Carpathians. So, the data set is supplemented by 2D velocity models from 32 deep seismic sounding refraction profiles which also provide information about the crust and uppermost mantle. Together with the results of other methods: vertical seismic profiling, magnetotelluric, allow for the creation of a detailed, high-resolution 3D model for the entire Earth's crust and the uppermost mantle down to a depth of 60 km. The thinnest sedimentary cover in the Mazury-Belarus anteclise is only 0.3 to 1 km thick, which increases to 7 to 8 km along the East European Craton (EEC) margin, and 9 to 12 km in the TESZ. The Variscan domain is characterized by a 1-4 km thick sedimentary cover, while the Carpathians are characterized by very thick sedimentary layers, up to about 20 km. The crystalline crust is differentiated and has a layered structure. The crust beneath the West European Platform (WEP; Variscan domain) is characterized by P-wave velocities of 5.8-6.6 km/s. The upper and middle crusts beneath the EEC are characterized by velocities of 6.1-6.6 km/s, and are underlain by a high velocity lower crust with a velocity of about 7 km/s. A general decrease in velocity is observed from the older to the younger tectonic domains. The TESZ is associated with a steep dip

Seismic Response of 3D Steel Buildings considering the Effect of PR Connections and Gravity Frames

PubMed Central

Haldar, Achintya; López-Barraza, Arturo; Rivera-Salas, J. Luz

2014-01-01

The nonlinear seismic responses of 3D steel buildings with perimeter moment resisting frames (PMRF) and interior gravity frames (IGF) are studied explicitly considering the contribution of the IGF. The effect on the structural response of the stiffness of the beam-to-column connections of the IGF, which is usually neglected, is also studied. It is commonly believed that the flexibility of shear connections is negligible and that 2D models can be used to properly represent 3D real structures. The results of the study indicate, however, that the moments developed on columns of IGF can be considerable and that modeling buildings as plane frames may result in very conservative designs. The contribution of IGF to the lateral structural resistance may be significant. The contribution increases when their connections are assumed to be partially restrained (PR). The incremented participation of IGF when the stiffness of their connections is considered helps to counteract the no conservative effect that results in practice when lateral seismic loads are not considered in IGF while designing steel buildings with PMRF. Thus, if the structural system under consideration is used, the three-dimensional model should be used in seismic analysis and the IGF and the stiffness of their connections should be considered as part of the lateral resistance system. PMID:24995357

Joint inversion of 3-D seismic, gravimetric and magnetotelluric data for sub-basalt imaging in the Faroe-Shetland Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heincke, B.; Moorkamp, M.; Jegen, M.; Hobbs, R. W.

2012-12-01

Imaging of sub-basalt sediments with reflection seismic techniques is limited due to absorption, scattering and transmission effects and the presence of peg-leg multiples. Although many of the difficulties facing conventional seismic profiles can be overcome by recording long offset data resolution of sub-basalt sediments in seismic sections is typically still largely restricted. Therefore multi-parametric approaches in general and joint inversion strategies in particular (e.g. Colombo et al., 2008, Jordan et al., 2012) are considered as alternative to gain additional information from sub-basalt structures. Here, we combine in a 3-D joint inversion first-arrival time tomography, FTG gravity and MT data to identify the base basalt and resolve potential sediments underneath. For sub-basalt exploration the three methods complement each other such that the null space is reduced and significantly better resolved models can be obtained than would be possible by the individual methods: The seismic data gives a robust model for the supra-basalt sediments whilst the gravity field is dominated by the high density basalt and basement features. The MT on the other hand is sensitive to the conductivity in both the supra- and sub-basalt sediments. We will present preliminary individual and joint inversion result for a FTG, seismic and MT data set located in the Faroe-Shetland basin. Because the investigated area is rather large (~75 x 40 km) and the individual data sets are relatively huge, we use a joint inversion framework (see Moorkamp et al., 2011) which is designed to handle large amount of data/model parameters. This program has moreover the options to link the individual parameter models either petrophysically using fixed parameter relationships or structurally using the cross-gradient approach. The seismic data set consists of a pattern of 8 intersecting wide-angle seismic profiles with maximum offsets of up to ~24 km. The 3-D gravity data set (size :~ 30 x 30 km) is

Estimation of 1-D velocity models beneath strong-motion observation sites in the Kathmandu Valley using strong-motion records from moderate-sized earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bijukchhen, Subeg M.; Takai, Nobuo; Shigefuji, Michiko; Ichiyanagi, Masayoshi; Sasatani, Tsutomu; Sugimura, Yokito

2017-07-01

The Himalayan collision zone experiences many seismic activities with large earthquakes occurring at certain time intervals. The damming of the proto-Bagmati River as a result of rapid mountain-building processes created a lake in the Kathmandu Valley that eventually dried out, leaving thick unconsolidated lacustrine deposits. Previous studies have shown that the sediments are 600 m thick in the center. A location in a seismically active region, and the possible amplification of seismic waves due to thick sediments, have made Kathmandu Valley seismically vulnerable. It has suffered devastation due to earthquakes several times in the past. The development of the Kathmandu Valley into the largest urban agglomerate in Nepal has exposed a large population to seismic hazards. This vulnerability was apparent during the Gorkha Earthquake (Mw7.8) on April 25, 2015, when the main shock and ensuing aftershocks claimed more than 1700 lives and nearly 13% of buildings inside the valley were completely damaged. Preparing safe and up-to-date building codes to reduce seismic risk requires a thorough study of ground motion amplification. Characterizing subsurface velocity structure is a step toward achieving that goal. We used the records from an array of strong-motion accelerometers installed by Hokkaido University and Tribhuvan University to construct 1-D velocity models of station sites by forward modeling of low-frequency S-waves. Filtered records (0.1-0.5 Hz) from one of the accelerometers installed at a rock site during a moderate-sized (mb4.9) earthquake on August 30, 2013, and three moderate-sized (Mw5.1, Mw5.1, and Mw5.5) aftershocks of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake were used as input motion for modeling of low-frequency S-waves. We consulted available geological maps, cross-sections, and borehole data as the basis for initial models for the sediment sites. This study shows that the basin has an undulating topography and sediment sites have deposits of varying thicknesses

Geophysical Investigation of Avon Valley, West-Central Montana, using Gravity and Seismic Reflection Profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knatterud, L.; Mosolf, J.; Speece, M. A.; Zhou, X.

2014-12-01

The Avon Valley and adjacent mountains in west-central Montana lie within the Lewis and Clark Line, a major system of WNW-striking faults and folds that transect the more northerly structural grain of the northern Rockies and represent alternating episodes of transtensional and transpressional deformation. The northwest-trending valley has been previously interpreted as an extensional half graben filled with Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic deposits; however, little-to-no geophysical constraints on basin architecture or the thickness of Tertiary fill have been reported. A major northwest-striking fault with significant normal displacement clearly bounds the valley to the northeast, juxtaposing Tertiary sedimentary deposits against Proterozoic-Mesozoic units deformed by shortening structures and crosscut by Cretaceous granitic intrusions. Tertiary volcanic deposits unconformably overlying faulted and folded Phanerozoic-Proterozoic sequences in the eastern Garnet Range bound the valley to the southwest, but in the past no faults had been mapped along this margin. New mapping by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) has identified a system of high-angle, northwest- and northeast-striking, oblique-slip faults along the southwest border of the Avon calling into question if the valley is a half, full, or asymmetrical graben. Geophysical data has recently been acquired by Montana Tech to help define the structural architecture of the Avon Valley and the thickness of its Tertiary fill. Gravity data and a short seismic reflection profile have been collected and a preliminary interpretation of these data indicates a half graben with a series of normal faults bounding the western side of the valley. Ongoing gravity data collection throughout 2014 should refine this interpretation by better defining the bedrock-Tertiary interface at depth.

First-order and subsidiary faults controlling the time-space evolution of the Central Italy 2016 seismic sequence - a multi-source data detailed 3D reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavecchia, Giusy; de nardis, Rita; Ferrarini, Federica; Cirillo, Daniele; Brozzetti, Francesco

2017-04-01

The Central Italy 2016 seismic sequence, with its three major events (24 August, Mw 6.0/6.2; 26 October Mw5.9/6.0; 30 October Mw6.5/6.6), activated a well-known active west-dipping extensional fault alignment of central Italy (Vettore-Gorzano faults, VEGO). Soon after the first event, based on geological, interferometric and at that moment available seismological data, a preliminary 3D fault model of VEGO was built. Such a model is here updated and improved at the light of a large amount of relocated earthquake data (time interval 24 August to 30 November 2016, 0.1≤ML ≤6.5, Chiaraluce at al., submitted to SRL) plus additional geological information. The 3D modeling was done using the software package MOVE from the Midland Valley. All the available data were taken into consideration (surface traces, fault-slip data, primary co-seismic surface fractures, geological maps and cross-sections, hypocentral locations and focal mechanisms of both background seismicity and seismic sequences). The VEGO geometric configuration did not substantially changed with respect to the previous model, but some additional structures involved in the sequence were reconstructed. In particular, four additional faults are well evident: a NE-dipping normal fault (dip-angle 50˚ ) antithetic to Vettore Fault, located at depths between 1 and 5 km; a WNW dipping plane (dip-angle 30˚ ) located at depth between 1 and 4 km within the Vettore footwall volume; this structure represents a splay of the late Miocene Sibillini thrust, which is evidently cross-cut and dislocated by the Vettore normal fault; a SW-dipping normal fault representing an unknown northward prosecution of the VEGO alignment, where since 26 October a relevant seismic activity was released; an unknown east-dipping low-angle detachment, where VEGO detaches at a depth of about 10-11 km. An uninterrupted microseismic activity has illuminated such a detachment not only during the overall sequence, but also in the previous months

Integration of high-resolution seismic and aeromagnetic data for earthquake hazards evaluations: An example from the Willamette Valley, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liberty, L.M.; Trehu, A.M.; Blakely, R.J.; Dougherty, M.E.

1999-01-01

Aeromagnetic and high-resolution seismic reflection data were integrated to place constraints on the history of seismic activity and to determine the continuity of the possibly active, yet largely concealed Mount Angel fault in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Recent seismic activity possibly related to the 20-km-long fault includes a swarm of small earthquakes near Woodburn in 1990 and the magnitude 5.6 Scotts Mills earthquake in 1993. Newly acquired aeromagnetic data show several large northwest-trending anomalies, including one associated with the Mount Angel fault. The magnetic signature indicates that the fault may actually extend 70 km across the Willamette Valley to join the Newberg and Gales Creek faults in the Oregon Coast Range. We collected 24-fold high-resolution seismic reflection data along two transects near Woodburn, Oregon, to image the offset of the Miocene-age Columbia River Basalts (CRB) and overlying sediments at and northwest of the known mapped extent of the Mount Angel fault. The seismic data show a 100-200-m offset in the CRB reflector at depths from 300 to 700 m. Folded or offset sediments appear above the CRB with decreasing amplitude to depths as shallow as were imaged (approximately 40 m). Modeling experiments based on the magnetic data indicate, however, that the anomaly associated with the Mount Angel fault is not caused solely by an offset of the CRB and overlying sediments. Underlying magnetic sources, which we presume to be volcanic rocks of the Siletz terrane, must have vertical offsets of at least 500 m to fit the observed data. We conclude that the Mount Angel fault appears to have been active since Eocene age and that the Gales Creek, Newberg, and Mount Angel faults should be considered a single potentially active fault system. This fault, as well as other parallel northwest-trending faults in the Willamette Valley, should be considered as risks for future potentially damaging earthquakes.

pySeismicFMM: Python based Travel Time Calculation in Regular 2D and 3D Grids in Cartesian and Geographic Coordinates using Fast Marching Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilde-Piorko, M.; Polkowski, M.

2016-12-01

Seismic wave travel time calculation is the most common numerical operation in seismology. The most efficient is travel time calculation in 1D velocity model - for given source, receiver depths and angular distance time is calculated within fraction of a second. Unfortunately, in most cases 1D is not enough to encounter differentiating local and regional structures. Whenever possible travel time through 3D velocity model has to be calculated. It can be achieved using ray calculation or time propagation in space. While single ray path calculation is quick it is complicated to find the ray path that connects source with the receiver. Time propagation in space using Fast Marching Method seems more efficient in most cases, especially when there are multiple receivers. In this presentation final release of a Python module pySeismicFMM is presented - simple and very efficient tool for calculating travel time from sources to receivers. Calculation requires regular 2D or 3D velocity grid either in Cartesian or geographic coordinates. On desktop class computer calculation speed is 200k grid cells per second. Calculation has to be performed once for every source location and provides travel time to all receivers. pySeismicFMM is free and open source. Development of this tool is a part of authors PhD thesis. Source code of pySeismicFMM will be published before Fall Meeting. National Science Centre Poland provided financial support for this work via NCN grant DEC-2011/02/A/ST10/00284.

Subsurface fault geometries in Southern California illuminated through Full-3D Seismic Waveform Tomography (F3DT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, En-Jui; Chen, Po

2017-04-01

More precise spatial descriptions of fault systems play an essential role in tectonic interpretations, deformation modeling, and seismic hazard assessments. The recent developed full-3D waveform tomography techniques provide high-resolution images and are able to image the material property differences across faults to assist the understanding of fault systems. In the updated seismic velocity model for Southern California, CVM-S4.26, many velocity gradients show consistency with surface geology and major faults defined in the Community Fault Model (CFM) (Plesch et al. 2007), which was constructed by using various geological and geophysical observations. In addition to faults in CFM, CVM-S4.26 reveals a velocity reversal mainly beneath the San Gabriel Mountain and Western Mojave Desert regions, which is correlated with the detachment structure that has also been found in other independent studies. The high-resolution tomographic images of CVM-S4.26 could assist the understanding of fault systems in Southern California and therefore benefit the development of fault models as well as other applications, such as seismic hazard analysis, tectonic reconstructions, and crustal deformation modeling.

Contrasting fluvial styles across the mid-Pleistocene climate transition in the northern shelf of the South China Sea: Evidence from 3D seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuo, Haiteng; Wang, Yingmin; Shi, Hesheng; He, Min; Chen, Weitao; Li, Hua; Wang, Ying; Yan, Weiyao

2015-12-01

Multiple successions of buried fluvial channel systems were identified in the Quaternary section of the mid-shelf region of the northern South China Sea, providing a new case study for understanding the interplay between sea level variations and climate change. Using three commercial 3D seismic surveys, accompanied by several 2D lines and a few shallow boreholes, the sequence stratigraphy, seismic geomorphology and stratal architecture of these fluvial channels were carefully investigated. Based on their origin, dimensions, planform geometries and infill architectures, six classes of channel systems, from Class 1 to Class 6, were recognized within five sequences of Quaternary section (SQ1 to SQ5). Three types of fluvial systems among them are incised in their nature, including the trunk incised valleys (Class 1), medium incised valleys (Class 2) and incised tributaries (Class 3). The other three types are unincised, which comprise the trunk channels (Class 4), lateral migrating channels (Class 5) and the stable channels (Class 6). The trunk channels and/or the major valleys that contain braided channels at their base are hypothesized to be a product of deposition from the "big rivers" that have puzzled the sedimentologists for the last decade, providing evidence for the existence of such rivers in the ancient record. Absolute age dates from a few shallow boreholes indicate that the landscapes that were associated with these fluvial systems changed significantly near the completion of the mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT), which approximately corresponds to horizon SB2 with an age of ∼0.6 Ma BP. Below SB2, the Early Pleistocene sequence (SQ1) is dominated by a range of different types of unincised fluvial systems. Evidence of incised valleys is absent in SQ1. In contrast, extensive fluvial incision occurred in the successions above horizon SB2 (within SQ2-SQ5). Although recent studies call for increased incision being a product of climate

Improved 3D seismic images of dynamic deformation in the Nankai Trough off Kumano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiraishi, K.; Moore, G. F.; Yamada, Y.; Kinoshita, M.; Sanada, Y.; Kimura, G.

2016-12-01

In order to improve the seismic reflection image of dynamic deformation and seismogenic faults in the Nankai trough, the 2006 Kumano 3D seismic dataset was reprocessed from the original field records by applying advanced technologies a decade after the data acquisition and initial processing. The 3D seismic survey revealed the geometry of megasplay fault system. However, there were still unclear regions in the accretionary prism beneath from Kumano basin to the outer ridge, because of sea floor multiple reflections and noise caused by the Kuroshio current. For the next stage of deep scientific drilling into the Nankai trough seismogenic zone, it is essential to know exactly the shape and depth of the megasplay, and fine structures around the drilling site. Three important improvements were achieved in data processing before imaging. First, full deghosting and optimized zero phasing techniques could recover broadband signals, especially in low frequency, by compensating for ghost effects at both source and receiver, and removing source bubbles. Second, the multiple reflections better attenuated by applying advanced techniques in combination, and the strong noise caused by the Kuroshio were attenuated carefully. Third, data regularization by means of the optimized 4D trace interpolation was effective both to mitigate non-uniform fold distribution and to improve data quality. Further imaging processes led to obvious improvement from previous results by applying PSTM with higher order correction of VTI anisotropy, and PSDM based on the velocity model built by reflection tomography with TTI anisotropy. Final reflection images show new geological aspects, such as clear steep dip faults around the "notch", and fine scale faults related to main thrusts in frontal thrust zone. The improved images will highly contribute to understanding the deformation process in the old accretionary prism and seismogenic features related to the megasplay faults.

Exploitation utilizing 3D seismic in the Red Oak gas field of the Arkoma Basin, Oklahoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rutty, P.; Schlaefer, J.; Antonio, V.

1995-09-01

Red Oak field,located in the Arkoma basin of Eastern Oklahoma, produces 200 Mmcfd of gas under pressure depletion drive with 2.6 TCF of gas recoverable. Structurally, the field occupied a position along the northern flank of the southward collapsing shear-margin formed during the Ouachita Orogeny. The basin flank is characterized by rapid subsidence and deposition of over 20,000 feet (6000 m) of shallow to deep marine shale and stacked sandstone in Atokan time (mid-late Carboniferous). This sequence culminates with a shoaling upward cycle and is structurally deformed by earliest Desmoinesian thrusting (280-265 Mya). Interpretation from an 18 mi{sup {center_dot}2} (47km{supmore » 2}) 3-D seismic survey was integrated with available with available well control and litho-facies mapping defining detailed structural irregularities and providing new drillsites while reducing economic risk. Resolution of data from the 3D seismic survey varied greatly. The one failed aspect of the original 3D survey design was to precisely map Red Oak sandstone. However, the survey was robust enough to provide excellent shallow and deep data, leading to identification of additional reservoir targets and multiple drilling proposals.« less

3D View of Death Valley, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

This 3-D perspective view looking north over Death Valley, California, was produced by draping ASTER nighttime thermal infrared data over topographic data from the US Geological Survey. The ASTER data were acquired April 7, 2000 with the multi-spectral thermal infrared channels, and cover an area of 60 by 80 km (37 by 50 miles). Bands 13, 12, and 10 are displayed in red, green and blue respectively. The data have been computer enhanced to exaggerate the color variations that highlight differences in types of surface materials. Salt deposits on the floor of Death Valley appear in shades of yellow, green, purple, and pink, indicating presence of carbonate, sulfate, and chloride minerals. The Panamint Mtns. to the west, and the Black Mtns. to the east, are made up of sedimentary limestones, sandstones, shales, and metamorphic rocks. The bright red areas are dominated by the mineral quartz, such as is found in sandstones; green areas are limestones. In the lower center part of the image is Badwater, the lowest point in North America.

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. Dr. Anne Kahle at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is the U.S. Science team leader; Moshe Pniel of JPL is the project manager. ASTER is the only high resolution imaging sensor on Terra. The primary goal of the ASTER mission is to obtain high-resolution image data in 14 channels over the entire land surface, as well as black and white stereo images. With revisit time of between 4 and 16 days, ASTER will provide the capability for repeat coverage of changing areas on Earth's surface.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER

Preliminary interpretation of high resolution 3D seismic data from offshore Mt. Etna, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, F.; Krastel, S.; Chiocci, F. L.; Ridente, D.; Cukur, D.; Bialas, J.; Papenberg, C. A.; Crutchley, G.; Koch, S.

2013-12-01

In order to gain knowledge about subsurface structures and its correlation to seafloor expressions, a hydro-acoustic dataset was collected during RV Meteor Cruise M86/2 (December 2011/January 2012) in Messina Straits and offshore Mt. Etna. Especially offshore Mt. Etna, the data reveals an obvious connection between subsurface structures and previously known morphological features at the sea floor. Therefore a high resolution 3D seismic dataset was acquired between Riposto Ridge and Catania Canyon close to the shore of eastern Sicily. The study area is characterized by a major structural high, which hosts several ridge-like features at the seafloor. These features are connected to a SW-NE trending fault system. The ridges are bended in their NE-SW direction and host major escarpments at the seafloor. Furthermore they are located directly next to a massive amphitheater structure offshore Mt. Etna with slope gradients of up to 35°, which is interpreted as remnants of a massive submarine mass wasting event off Sicily. The new 3D seismic dataset allows an in depth analysis of the ongoing deformation of the east flank of Mt. Etna.

Preliminary 3d depth migration of a network of 2d seismic lines for fault imaging at a Pyramid Lake, Nevada geothermal prospect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frary, R.; Louie, J.; Pullammanappallil, S.

Roxanna Frary, John N. Louie, Sathish Pullammanappallil, Amy Eisses, 2011, Preliminary 3d depth migration of a network of 2d seismic lines for fault imaging at a Pyramid Lake, Nevada geothermal prospect: presented at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, Dec. 5-9, abstract T13G-07.

3D geological to geophysical modelling and seismic wave propagation simulation: a case study from the Lalor Lake VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulphides) mining camp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miah, Khalid; Bellefleur, Gilles

2014-05-01

The global demand for base metals, uranium and precious metals has been pushing mineral explorations at greater depth. Seismic techniques and surveys have become essential in finding and extracting mineral rich ore bodies, especially for deep VMS mining camps. Geophysical parameters collected from borehole logs and laboratory measurements of core samples provide preliminary information about the nature and type of subsurface lithologic units. Alteration halos formed during the hydrothermal alteration process contain ore bodies, which are of primary interests among geologists and mining industries. It is known that the alteration halos are easier to detect than the ore bodies itself. Many 3D geological models are merely projection of 2D surface geology based on outcrop inspections and geochemical analysis of a small number of core samples collected from the area. Since a large scale 3D multicomponent seismic survey can be prohibitively expensive, performance analysis of such geological models can be helpful in reducing exploration costs. In this abstract, we discussed challenges and constraints encountered in geophysical modelling of ore bodies and surrounding geologic structures from the available coarse 3D geological models of the Lalor Lake mining camp, located in northern Manitoba, Canada. Ore bodies in the Lalor lake VMS camp are rich in gold, zinc, lead and copper, and have an approximate weight of 27 Mt. For better understanding of physical parameters of these known ore bodies and potentially unknown ones at greater depth, we constructed a fine resolution 3D seismic model with dimensions: 2000 m (width), 2000 m (height), and 1500 m (vertical depth). Seismic properties (P-wave, S-wave velocities, and density) were assigned based on a previous rock properties study of the same mining camp. 3D finite-difference elastic wave propagation simulation was performed in the model using appropriate parameters. The generated synthetic 3D seismic data was then compared to

GPS measurements of crustal deformation across the southern Arava Valley section of the Dead Sea Fault and implications to regional seismic hazard assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamiel, Yariv; Masson, Frederic; Piatibratova, Oksana; Mizrahi, Yaakov

2018-01-01

Detailed analysis of crustal deformation along the southern Arava Valley section of the Dead Sea Fault is presented. Using dense GPS measurements we obtain the velocities of new near- and far-field campaign stations across the fault. We find that this section is locked with a locking depth of 19.9 ± 7.7 km and a slip rate of 5.0 ± 0.8 mm/yr. The geodetically determined locking depth is found to be highly consistent with the thickness of the seismogenic zone in this region. Analysis of instrumental seismic record suggests that only 1% of the total seismic moment accumulated since the last large event occurred about 800 years ago, was released by small to moderate earthquakes. Historical and paleo-seismic catalogs of this region together with instrumental seismic data and calculations of Coulomb stress changes induced by the 1995 Mw 7.2 Nuweiba earthquake suggest that the southern Arava Valley section of the Dead Sea Fault is in the late stage of the current interseismic period.

Moment Tensor Inversion with 3D sensor configuration of Mining Induced Seismicity (Kiruna mine, Sweden)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ju; Dineva, Savka; Cesca, Simone; Heimann, Sebastian

2018-03-01

Mining induced seismicity is an undesired consequence of mining operations, which poses significant hazard to miners and infrastructures and requires an accurate analysis of the rupture process. Seismic moment tensors of mining-induced events help to understand the nature of mining-induced seismicity by providing information about the relationship between the mining, stress redistribution and instabilities in the rock mass. In this work, we adapt and test a waveform-based inversion method on high frequency data recorded by a dense underground seismic system in one of the largest underground mines in the world (Kiruna mine, Sweden). Stable algorithm for moment tensor inversion for comparatively small mining induced earthquakes, resolving both the double couple and full moment tensor with high frequency data is very challenging. Moreover, the application to underground mining system requires accounting for the 3D geometry of the monitoring system. We construct a Green's function database using a homogeneous velocity model, but assuming a 3D distribution of potential sources and receivers. We first perform a set of moment tensor inversions using synthetic data to test the effects of different factors on moment tensor inversion stability and source parameters accuracy, including the network spatial coverage, the number of sensors and the signal-to-noise ratio. The influence of the accuracy of the input source parameters on the inversion results is also tested. Those tests show that an accurate selection of the inversion parameters allows resolving the moment tensor also in presence of realistic seismic noise conditions. Finally, the moment tensor inversion methodology is applied to 8 events chosen from mining block #33/34 at Kiruna mine. Source parameters including scalar moment, magnitude, double couple, compensated linear vector dipole and isotropic contributions as well as the strike, dip, rake configurations of the double couple term were obtained. The orientations

Infill of tunnel valleys associated with landward-flowing ice sheets: The missing Middle Pleistocene record of the NW European rivers?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreau, Julien; Huuse, Mads

2014-01-01

The southern termination of the Middle and Late Pleistocene Scandinavian ice sheets was repeatedly located in the southern North Sea (sNS) and adjacent, north-sloping land areas. Giant meltwater-excavated valleys (tunnel valleys) formed at the southern termination of the ice sheets and contain a hitherto enigmatic succession of northward prograding clinoforms, comprising 1000s km3 of sediment. This study analyses 3D seismic data, covering the entire sNS, and demonstrates for the first time that the formation of these tunnel valleys was separate from their infill. The infill constitutes the postglacial record of the NW European river deltas, which had so far been considered missing.

New evidence for the serpentinization of the Palaeozoic basement of southeastern Sicily from joint 3-D seismic velocity and attenuation tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giampiccolo, E.; Brancato, A.; Manuella, F. C.; Carbone, S.; Gresta, S.; Scribano, V.

2017-12-01

In this study, we derived the first 3-D P-wave seismic attenuation images (QP) as well as new 3-D VP and VP/VS models for the crust in southeastern Sicily. We used a large data set of local seismic events occurring in the time span 1994-2013. The results of this tomographic study have important implications on the seismic behaviour of the region. Based on velocity and attenuation images, we identified distinct volumes characterized by different fluid content, which correlate well with seismicity distribution. Moreover, the obtained velocity and attenuation tomographies help us to provide a more complete picture of the crustal structure of the area. High VP, high QP and high VP/VS values have been obtained in the crustal basement, below a depth of 8 km, and may be interpreted as due to the presence of serpentinized peridotites. Accordingly, the new model for the degree of serpentinization, retrieved from VP values, shows that the basement has an average serpentinization value of 96 ± 3 vol.% at 8 km, decreasing to 44 ± 5 vol.% at about 18-20 km.

Source Inversion of Seismic Events Associated with the Sinkhole at Napoleonville Salt Dome, Louisiana using a 3D Velocity Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Avinash; Dreger, Douglas S.

2018-05-01

The formation of a large sinkhole at the Napoleonville salt dome (NSD), Assumption Parish, Louisiana, caused by the collapse of a brine cavern, was accompanied by an intense and complex sequence of seismic events. We implement a grid-search approach to compute centroid locations and point-source moment tensor (MT) solutions of these seismic events using ˜0.1-0.3 Hz displacement waveforms and synthetic Green's functions computed using a 3D velocity model of the western edge of the NSD. The 3D model incorporates the currently known approximate geometry of the salt dome and the overlying anhydrite-gypsum cap rock, and features a large velocity contrast between the high velocity salt dome and low velocity sediments overlying and surrounding it. For each possible location on the source grid, Green's functions (GFs) to each station were computed using source-receiver reciprocity and the finite-difference seismic wave propagation software SW4. We also establish an empirical method to rigorously assess uncertainties in the centroid location, MW and source type of these events under evolving network geometry, using the results of synthetic tests with hypothetical events and real seismic noise. We apply the methods on the entire duration of data (˜6 months) recorded by the temporary US Geological Survey network. During an energetic phase of the sequence from 24-31 July 2012 when 4 stations were operational, the events with the best waveform fits are primarily located at the western edge of the salt dome at most probable depths of ˜0.3-0.85 km, close to the horizontal positions of the cavern and the future sinkhole. The data are fit nearly equally well by opening crack MTs in the high velocity salt medium or by isotropic volume-increase MTs in the low velocity sediment layers. We find that data recorded by 6 stations during 1-2 August 2012, right before the appearance of the sinkhole, indicate that some events are likely located in the lower velocity media just outside the

Mapping the Palaeo-Piniada Valley, Central Greece, Based on Systematic Microtremor Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantovani, A.; Valkaniotis, S.; Rapti, D.; Caputo, R.

2018-03-01

The application of seismic noise-based techniques has become particularly popular in the last decades, as they are not invasive and do not require large teams or expensive equipments. The Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) is commonly used not only in seismic microzoning studies as far as from noise recording constraining the fundamental resonant frequency, but it is also possible to infer the depth of the bedrock knowing the average shear wave velocity of the overlying sedimentary cover, or viceversa (i.e. resonance equation). For the purposes of the present research, more than 300 single-station noise measurements were carried out across the Piniada Valley (Central Greece), along and between several transects planned roughly perpendicular to the mean valley trend. To understand the palaeogeographic and tectonic evolution of this area, we needed an estimation of the geometry at depth of the bedrock underlying the fluvial deposits of the present-day Pinios River. As a result, for each measured site, we calculated the depth of the bedrock and, afterwards, such values were opportunely interpolated for obtaining a 3D model of the palaeo-Piniada Valley documenting for the first time the recent (Late Quaternary) inversion of the topographic gradient.

3D seismic detection of shallow faults and fluid migration pathways offshore Southern Costa Rica: Application of neural-network meta-attributes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluesner, J. W.; Silver, E. A.; Nale, S. M.; Bangs, N. L.; McIntosh, K. D.

2013-12-01

We employ a seismic meta-attribute workflow to detect and analyze probable faults and fluid-pathways in 3D within the sedimentary section offshore Southern Costa Rica. During the CRISP seismic survey in 2011 we collected an 11 x 55 km grid of 3D seismic reflection data and high-resolvability EM122 multibeam data, with coverage extending from the incoming plate to the outer-shelf. We mapped numerous seafloor seep indicators, with distributions ranging from the lower-slope to ~15 km landward of the shelf break [Kluesner et al., 2013, G3, doi:10.1002/ggge.20058; Silver et al., this meeting]. We used the OpendTect software package to calculate meta-attribute volumes from the 3D seismic data in order to detect and visualize seismic discontinuities in 3D. This methodology consists of dip-steered filtering to pre-condition the data, followed by combining a set of advanced dip-steered seismic attributes into a single object probability attribute using a user-trained neural-network pattern-recognition algorithm. The parameters of the advanced seismic attributes are set for optimal detection of the desired geologic discontinuity (e.g. faults or fluid-pathways). The product is a measure of probability for the desired target that ranges between 0 and 1, with 1 representing the highest probability. Within the sedimentary section of the CRISP survey the results indicate focused fluid-migration pathways along dense networks of intersecting normal faults with approximately N-S and E-W trends. This pattern extends from the middle slope to the outer-shelf region. Dense clusters of fluid-migration pathways are located above basement highs and deeply rooted reverse faults [see Bangs et al., this meeting], including a dense zone of fluid-pathways imaged below IODP Site U1413. In addition, fault intersections frequently show an increased signal of fluid-migration and these zones may act as major conduits for fluid-flow through the sedimentary cover. Imaged fluid pathways root into high

Detailed Gas Chimney Structures in Joetsu Area at Southeastern Margin of Japan Sea, Revealed by High-Resolution 3D Seismic Survey (HR3D)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohkawa, S.; Hiruta, A.; Yanagimoto, Y.; Matsumoto, R.; Asakawa, E.

2016-12-01

To delineate the detailed structure of the gas chimneys, a high-resolution three-dimensional seismic survey (HR3D) was carried out in Joetsu area, at the southeastern margin of Japan Sea where hydrate-related mound and pockmark systems with gas chimneys are widely developed. HR3D data have successfully revealed the fine structure of gas chimneys which were not clearly imaged by the existing seismic data, such as sub-bottom profilers and conventional large-scale 3D surveys for petroleum exploration. HR3D data are also useful to interpolate and extrapolate spatially the geological/geophysical information obtained at wells most of which were drilled into the gas hydrate concentrated zones (GHCZs.) In the areas of low hydrate concentration, the reflections show a parallel-stratified pattern and the bottom simulating reflector (BSR) is parallel to the sea floor reflections. On the other hand, GHCZs are seismologically characterized by (1) strong sea floor reflections on the chimney mounds, (2) chaotic reflection patterns in the chimneys, and (3) pull-up of bottom simulating reflector (BSR) as shown in the attached figure. Strong sea floor reflections suggest that solid hydrates deposit in the very shallow part beneath the sea floor and the chaotic reflections indicate the hydrates are not continuously layered but interspersedly distributed. The BSR pull-up phenomena as much as 70 80msec are caused by high-velocity materials existing between the sea floor and the BSR. The sonic logs acquired by LWD at wells drilled into GHCZs show high velocity up to 3,800 m/s in the massive hydrates. The pull-up times estimated from the sonic data are consistent in general with the observed pull-up times on HR3D sections, suggesting the pull-up times could be useful for a preliminary evaluation of hydrate zones before drilling and/or in the areas without well data. This study was conducted under the commission from AIST as a part of the methane hydrate research project funded by METI

Mapping a buried Quaternary valley and pre-Quaternary faults through seismic methods in Copenhagen, Denmark.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Kerim; Alfredo Mendoza, Jose; Henrik, Olsen

2010-05-01

Limited knowledge of the subsurface geology motivates the use of geophysical techniques before large engineering projects are conducted. These applications are normally restricted to satisfy the project aims, like mapping the near surface sediments, unconsolidated rocks and/or geological structures that may affect the construction locally. However, the applications can also contribute to the general knowledge of the regional geology around the location of interest. This report highlights the mapping of a buried Quaternary valley and identification of regional faults by a reflection and refraction seismic survey performed in Copenhagen. A 13.9 Km seismic survey was carried out at Copenhagen city along six crooked lines in order to determine the velocity fields in the near subsurface segment of a planned metro line and reflection patterns in deeper levels. The aim of the survey was to collect information needed for designing the underground metro. In particular it was sought to map the interface between Quaternary sedimentary layers of clay, till and sand, and the underlying layers of Palaeogene limestone found between 7 and 40 m below the ground surface. The data acquisition was carried out using a 192 channels array, receiver groups with 5 m spacing and a Vibroseis as a source at 5 m spacing following a roll along technique to complete the survey spreads. The urban environment demanded extensive survey planning including traffic control, notifications to residents and a fluent coordination with municipal authorities in order to minimize disturbances and ensure data acquisition. The reflection data was processed under a conventional scheme and the refraction data was interpreted using a non-linear traveltime tomography algorithm. The reflection results indicate the presence of faults oriented NW-SE to NNW-SSE affecting the limestone sequences. The faults may be associated to the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone at the transition between the Danish Basin and the Baltic

Correlation of field seismic refraction data with 3-D laboratory ultrasonic sounding data during exploration of a dimension stone deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Přikryl, Richard; Vilhelm, Jan; Lokajíček, Tomáš; Pros, Zdeněk; Klíma, Karel

2004-05-01

Multidirectional field seismic refraction data have been combined with 3-D laboratory ultrasonic sounding data in a preliminary exploration of a new dimension stone deposit in the Czech Republic. Rock fabric was interpreted from a detailed laboratory analysis of a 3-D P-wave velocity pattern and can be classified as pronounced orthorhombic due to a complex tectonometamorphic history of the rock. The P-wave velocity pattern recorded from laboratory measurements can be satisfactorily correlated with the anisotropy of P-wave velocity data acquired from field seismic refraction data. Rock fabric anisotropy also contributes to the observed anisotropy of strength and static deformational properties.

Near-surface mapping using SH-wave and P-wave seismic land-streamer data acquisition in Illinois, U.S

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pugin, Andre J.M.; Larson, T.H.; Sargent, S.L.; McBride, J.H.; Bexfield, C.E.

2004-01-01

SH-wave and P-wave high-resolution seismic reflection combined with land-streamer technology provide 3D regional maps of geologic formations that can be associated with aquifers and aquitards. Examples for three study areas are considered to demonstrate this. In these areas, reflection profiling detected near-surface faulting and mapped a buried glacial valley and its aquifers in two settings. The resulting seismic data can be used directly to constrain hydrogeologic modeling of shallow aquifers.

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project: Tomographic characterization of a sediment-filled rift valley and adjacent ranges, southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davenport, K.; Hole, J. A.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.; Carrick, E.; Tikoff, B.

2011-12-01

The Salton Trough in Southern California represents the northernmost rift of the Gulf of California extensional system. Relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates is accommodated by continental rifting in step-over zones between the San Andreas, Imperial, and Cerro Prieto transform faults. Rapid sedimentation from the Colorado River has isolated the trough from the southern portion of the Gulf of California, progressively filling the subsiding rift basin. Based on data from previous seismic surveys, the pre-existing continent has ruptured completely, and a new ~22 km thick crust has been created entirely by sedimentation overlying rift-related magmatism. The MARGINS, EarthScope, and USGS-funded Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) was designed to investigate the nature of this new crust, the ongoing process of continental rifting, and associated earthquake hazards. SSIP, acquired in March 2011, comprises 7 lines of onshore seismic refraction / wide-angle reflection data, 2 lines of refraction / reflection data in the Salton Sea, and a line of broadband stations. This presentation focuses on the refraction / wide-angle reflection line across the Imperial Valley, extending ~220 km across California from Otay Mesa, near Tijuana, to the Colorado River. The data from this line includes seventeen 100-160 kg explosive shots and receivers at 100 m spacing across the Imperial Valley to constrain the structure of the Salton Trough rift basin, including the Imperial Fault. Eight larger shots (600-920 kg) at 20-35 km spacing and receivers at 200-500 m spacing extend the line across the Peninsular Ranges and the Chocolate Mountains. These data will contrast the structure of the rift to that of the surrounding crust and provide constraints on whole-crust and uppermost mantle structure. Preliminary work has included tomographic inversion of first-arrival travel times across the Valley, emphasizing a minimum-structure approach to create a velocity model of the

Breakup magmatism on the Vøring Margin, mid-Norway: New insight from interpretation of high-quality 2D and 3D seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelmalak, M. M.; Planke, S.; Millett, J.; Jerram, D. A.; Maharjan, D.; Zastrozhnov, D.; Schmid, D. W.; Faleide, J. I.; Svensen, H.; Myklebust, R.

2017-12-01

The Vøring Margin offshore mid-Norway is a classic volcanic rifted margin, characterized by voluminous Paleogene igneous rocks present on both sides of the continent-ocean boundary. The margin displays (1) thickened transitional crust with a well-defined lower crustal high-velocity body and prominent deep crustal reflections, the so-called T-Reflection, (2) seaward dipping reflector (SDR) wedges and a prominent northeast-trending escarpment on the Vøring Marginal High, and (3) extensive sill complexes in the adjacent Cretaceous Vøring Basin. During the last decade, new 2D and 3D industry seismic data along with improved processing techniques, such as broadband processing and noise reduction processing sequences, have made it possible to image and map the breakup igneous complex in much greater detail than previously possible. Our interpretation includes a combination of (1) seismic horizon picking, (2) integrated seismic-gravity-magnetic (SGM) interpretation, (3) seismic volcanostratigraphy, and (4) igneous seismic geomorphology. The results are integrated with published wide-angle seismic data, re-analyzed borehole data including new geochronology, and new geodynamic modeling of the effects of magmatism on the thermal history and subsidence of the margin. The extensive sill complexes and associated hydrothermal vent complexes in the Vøring Basin have a Paleocene-Eocene boundary age based on high-precision U/Pb dating combined with seismic mapping constraints. On the marginal high, our results show a highly variable crustal structure, with a pre-breakup configuration consisting of large-scale structural highs and sedimentary basins. These structures were in-filled and covered by basalt flows and volcanogenic sediments during the early stages of continental breakup in the earliest Eocene. Subsequently, rift basins developed along the continent-ocean boundary and where infilled by up to ca. 6 km thick basalt sequences, currently imaged as SDRs fed by a dike swarm

Characterization of the 3-D fracture setting of an unstable rock mass: From surface and seismic investigations to numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colombero, C.; Baillet, L.; Comina, C.; Jongmans, D.; Vinciguerra, S.

2017-08-01

The characterization of the fracturing state of a potentially unstable rock cliff is a crucial requirement for stability assessments and mitigation purposes. Classical measurements of fracture location and orientation can however be limited by inaccessible rock exposures. The steep topography and high-rise morphology of these cliffs, together with the widespread presence of fractures, can additionally condition the success of geophysical prospecting on these sites. In order to mitigate these limitations, an innovative approach combining noncontact geomechanical measurements, active and passive seismic surveys, and 3-D numerical modeling is proposed in this work to characterize the 3-D fracture setting of an unstable rock mass, located in NW Italian Alps (Madonna del Sasso, VB). The 3-D fracture geometry was achieved through a combination of field observations and noncontact geomechanical measurements on oriented pictures of the cliff, resulting from a previous laser-scanning and photogrammetric survey. The estimation of fracture persistence within the rock mass was obtained from surface active seismic surveys. Ambient seismic noise and earthquakes recordings were used to assess the fracture control on the site response. Processing of both data sets highlighted the resonance properties of the unstable rock volume decoupling from the stable massif. A finite element 3-D model of the site, including all the retrieved fracture information, enabled both validation and interpretation of the field measurements. The integration of these different methodologies, applied for the first time to a complex 3-D prone-to-fall mass, provided consistent information on the internal fracturing conditions, supplying key parameters for future monitoring purposes and mitigation strategies.

Using 3D Simulation of Elastic Wave Propagation in Laplace Domain for Electromagnetic-Seismic Inverse Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, P.; Newman, G. A.

2010-12-01

-Fourier domain we had developed 3D code for full-wave field simulation in the elastic media which take into account nonlinearity introduced by free-surface effects. Our approach is based on the velocity-stress formulation. In the contrast to conventional formulation we defined the material properties such as density and Lame constants not at nodal points but within cells. This second order finite differences method formulated in the cell-based grid, generate numerical solutions compatible with analytical ones within the range errors determinate by dispersion analysis. Our simulator will be embedded in an inversion scheme for joint seismic- electromagnetic imaging. It also offers possibilities for preconditioning the seismic wave propagation problems in the frequency domain. References. Shin, C. & Cha, Y. (2009), Waveform inversion in the Laplace-Fourier domain, Geophys. J. Int. 177(3), 1067- 1079. Shin, C. & Cha, Y. H. (2008), Waveform inversion in the Laplace domain, Geophys. J. Int. 173(3), 922-931. Commer, M. & Newman, G. (2008), New advances in three-dimensional controlled-source electromagnetic inversion, Geophys. J. Int. 172(2), 513-535. Newman, G. A., Commer, M. & Carazzone, J. J. (2010), Imaging CSEM data in the presence of electrical anisotropy, Geophysics, in press.

Calibration Shots Recorded for the Salton Seismic Imaging Project, Salton Trough, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, J. M.; Rymer, M. J.; Fuis, G. S.; Stock, J. M.; Goldman, M.; Sickler, R. R.; Miller, S. A.; Criley, C. J.; Ricketts, J. W.; Hole, J. A.

2009-12-01

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) is a collaborative venture between the U.S. Geological Survey, California Institute of Technology, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, to acquire seismic reflection/wide angle refraction data, and currently is scheduled for data acquisition in 2010. The purpose of the project is to get a detailed subsurface 3-D image of the structure of the Salton Trough (including both the Coachella and Imperial Valleys) that can be used for earthquake hazards analysis, geothermal studies, and studies of the transition from ocean-ocean to continent-continent plate-boundary. In June 2009, a series of calibration shots were detonated in the southern Imperial Valley with specific goals in mind. First, these shots were used to measure peak particle velocity and acceleration at various distances from the shots. Second, the shots were used to calibrate the propagation of energy through sediments of the Imperial Valley. Third, the shots were used to test the effects of seismic energy on buried clay drainage pipes, which are abundant throughout the irrigated parts of the Salton Trough. Fourth, we tested the ODEX drilling technique, which uses a down-hole casing hammer for a tight casing fit. Information obtained from the calibration shots will be used for final planning of the main project. The shots were located in an unused field adjacent to Hwy 7, about 6 km north of the U.S. /Mexican border (about 18 km southeast of El Centro). Three closely spaced shot points (16 meters apart) were aligned N-S and drilled to 21-m, 23.5-m, and 27-m depth. The holes were filled with 23-kg, 68-kg, and 123-kg of ammonium-nitrate explosive, respectively. Four instrument types were used to record the seismic energy - six RefTek RT130 6-channel recorders with a 3-component accelerometer and a 3-component 2-Hz velocity sensor, seven RefTek RT130 3-channel recorders with a 3-component 4.5-Hz velocity sensor, 35 Texans with a vertical component 4

3D tomographic seismic imaging of the southern rupture barrier of the great Sumatra-Andaman 2005 earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeesch, P. M.; Henstock, T. J.; Lange, D.; McNeill, L. C.; Barton, P. J.; Tang, G.; Bull, J. M.; Tilmann, F.; Dean, S. M.; Djajadihardja, Y.; Permana, H.

2009-04-01

In 2008 a 3D onshore-offshore controlled-source seismic experiment was carried out in an area of 300 km x 400 km, centered on the southern termination of the great Sumatra-Andaman 2005 earthquake rupture. In the first part of cruise SO198 on R/V Sonne ~10000 airgun shots were fired into an array of 47 Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs). A further ~50000 shots were fired into an array of 10 long-deployment OBSs. All shots were recorded on ~15 seismometers on the islands and more than 20 seismometers along the coast of Sumatra. An initial velocity model has been derived from 70132 first-arrival traveltimes from 45 OBSs, using the First-Arrival Seismic Tomography (FAST) inversion code developed by Zelt and Barton (1998). Root Mean Square traveltime misfit reduces from 1311 ms in the 1D starting model to 81 ms after 20 non-linear iterations. Offsets range between 0 and 265 km, with rays penetrating up to 28 km depth in the final model, hereby imaging the top of the subducting oceanic plate and revealing its complex 3D topography. Ray coverage is still being extended by including first-arrival traveltime picks from the landstations on the coast of Sumatra and the islands and from the 10 long-term deployment OBSs that will be recovered in January. The robustness and resolution of the final 3D model is examined by exploring different starting models, different inversion parameters and by carrying out checkerboard tests and synthetic tests. The resulting crustal 3D velocity model will allow us to explore the nature and physical cause of the rupture barrier of the 2005 great earthquake. Comparison with a similar dataset and subsequent 3D velocity model acquired at the boundary between the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes will provide important insights into the segmentation of the Sumatra subduction zone and the dynamics of its great earthquakes. Zelt, C. A. and P. J. Barton (1998). Three-dimensional seismic refraction tomography: A comparison of two methods applied to data from the

Can We Estimate Injected Carbon Dioxide Prior to the Repeat Survey in 4D Seismic Monitoring Scheme?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, A.

2005-12-01

To mitigate global climate change, the geologic sequestration by injecting carbon dioxide in the aquifer and others is one of the most promising scenarios. Monitoring is required to verify the long-term safe storage of carbon dioxide in the subsurface. As evidenced in the oil industry, monitoring by time-lapse 3D seismic survey is the most effective to spatially detect fluid movements and change of pore pressure. We have conducted 3D seismic survey onshore Japan surrounding RITE/METI Iwanohara carbon dioxide injection test site. Target aquifer zone is at 1100m deep in the Pleistocene layer with 60m thick and most permeable zone is approx. 12m thick. Baseline 3D seismic survey was conducted in July-August 2003 and a monitor 3D seismic survey was in July-August 2005 by vibrating source with 10-120Hz sweep frequency band. Prior to the monitor survey, we evaluated seismic data with integrating wireline logging data. As target carbon dioxide injection layer is thin, high-resolution seismic data is required to estimate potential spreading of injected carbon dioxide. To increase seismic resolution, spectrally enhancing method was in use. The procedure is smoothing number of seismic spectral amplitude, computing well log spectrum, and constructing matching filter between seismic and well spectrum. Then it was applied to the whole seismic traces after evaluating test traces. Synthetic seismograms from logging data were computed with extracting optimal wavelets. Fitting between spectrally enhanced seismic traces and synthetic seismograms was excellent even for deviated monitor wells. Acoustic impedance was estimated by inversion of these 3D seismic traces. In analyzing logging data of sonic, density, CMR, and others, the elastic wave velocity was reconstructed by rock physics approach after estimating compositions. Based on models, velocity changes by carbon dioxide injection was evaluated. The correlation of acoustic impedance with porosity and logarithmic permeability was

Seismicity of the Wabash Valley, Ste. Genevieve, and Rough Creek Graben Seismic Zones from the Earthscope Ozarks-Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky (OIINK) FlexArray Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirley, Matthew Richard

I analyzed seismic data from the Ozarks-Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky (OIINK) seismic experiment that operated in eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and Kentucky from July 2012 through March 2015. A product of this analysis is a new catalog of earthquake locations and magnitudes for small-magnitude local events during this study period. The analysis included a pilot study involving detailed manual analysis of all events in a ten-day test period and determination of the best parameters for a suite of automated detection and location programs. I eliminated events that were not earthquakes (mostly quarry and surface mine blasts) from the output of the automated programs, and reprocessed the locations for the earthquakes with manually picked P- and S-wave arrivals. This catalog consists of earthquake locations, depths, and local magnitudes. The new catalog consists of 147 earthquake locations, including 19 located within the bounds of the OIINK array. Of these events, 16 were newly reported events, too small to be reported in the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) regional seismic network catalog. I compared the magnitudes reported by CERI for corresponding earthquakes to establish a magnitude calibration factor for all earthquakes recorded by the OIINK array. With the calibrated earthquake magnitudes, I incorporate the previous OIINK results from Yang et al. (2014) to create magnitude-frequency distributions for the seismic zones in the region alongside the magnitude-frequency distributions made from CERI data. This shows that Saint Genevieve and Wabash Valley seismic zones experience seismic activity at an order magnitude lower rate than the New Madrid seismic zone, and the Rough Creek Graben experiences seismic activity two orders of magnitude less frequently than New Madrid.

Successful gas hydrate prospecting using 3D seismic - A case study for the Mt. Elbert prospect, Milne Point, North Slope Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Inks, T.L.; Agena, W.F.

2008-01-01

In February 2007, the Mt. Elbert Prospect stratigraphic test well, Milne Point, North Slope Alaska encountered thick methane gas hydrate intervals, as predicted by 3D seismic interpretation and modeling. Methane gas hydrate-saturated sediment was found in two intervals, totaling more than 100 ft., identified and mapped based on seismic character and wavelet modeling.

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project: Seismic velocity structure of the Brawley Seismic Zone, Salton Buttes and Geothermal Field, Salton Trough, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delph, J.; Hole, J. A.; Fuis, G. S.; Stock, J. M.; Rymer, M. J.

2011-12-01

The Salton Trough is an active rift in southern California in a step-over between the plate-bounding Imperial and San Andreas Faults. In March 2011, the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) investigated the rift's crustal structure by acquiring several seismic refraction and reflection lines. One of the densely sampled refraction lines crosses the northern-most Imperial Valley, perpendicular to the strike-slip faults and parallel to a line of small Quaternary rhyolitic volcanoes. The line crosses the obliquely extensional Brawley Seismic Zone and goes through one of the most geothermally productive areas in the United States. Well logs indicate the valley is filled by several kilometers of late Pliocene-recent lacustrine, fluvial, and shallow marine sediment. The 42-km long seismic line was comprised of eleven 110-460 kg explosive shots and receivers at a 100 m spacing. First arrival travel times were used to build a tomographic seismic velocity image of the upper crust. Velocity in the valley increases smoothly from <2 km/s to >5 km/s, indicating diagenesis and gradational metamorphism of rift sediments at very shallow depth due to an elevated geotherm. The velocity gradient is much smaller in the relatively low velocity (<6 km/s) crystalline basement comprised of recently metamorphosed sediment reaching greenschist to lower amphibolite facies. The depth of this basement is about 4-km below the aseismic region of the valley west of the Brawley Seismic Zone, but rises sharply to ~2 km depth beneath the seismically, geothermally, and volcanically active area of the Brawley Seismic Zone. The basement deepens to the northeast of the active tectonic zone and then is abruptly offset to shallower depth on the northeast side of the valley. This offset may be the subsurficial expression of a paleofault, most likely an extension of the Sand Hills Fault, which bounds the basin to the east. Basement velocity east of the fault is ~5.7 km/s, consistent with the granitic rocks

Double valley Dirac fermions for 3D and 2D Hg1-x Cd x Te with strong asymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchewka, M.

2017-04-01

In this paper the possibility to bring about the double-valley Dirac fermions in some quantum structures is predicted. These quantum structures are: strained 3D Hg1-x Cd x Te topological insulator (TI) with strong interface inversion asymmetry and the asymmetric Hg1-x Cd x Te double quantum wells (DQW). The numerical analysis of the dispersion relation for 3D TI Hg1-x Cd x Te for the proper Cd (x)-content of the Hg1-x Cd x Te compound clearly shows that the inversion symmetry breaking together with the unaxial tensile strain causes the splitting of each of the Dirac nodes (two belonging to two interfaces) into two in the proximity of the Γ-point. Similar effects can be obtained for asymmetric Hg1-x Cd x Te DQW with the proper content of Cd and proper width of the quantum wells. The aim of this work is to explore the inversion symmetry breaking in 3D TI and 2D DQW mixed HgCdTe systems. It is shown that this symmetry breaking leads to the dependence of carriers energy on quasi-momentum similar to that of Weyl fermions.

Seismic moment tensor inversion using 3D velocity model and its application to the 2013 Lushan earthquake sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Lupei; Zhou, Xiaofeng

2016-10-01

Source inversion of small-magnitude events such as aftershocks or mine collapses requires use of relatively high frequency seismic waveforms which are strongly affected by small-scale heterogeneities in the crust. In this study, we developed a new inversion method called gCAP3D for determining general moment tensor of a seismic source using Green's functions of 3D models. It inherits the advantageous features of the ;Cut-and-Paste; (CAP) method to break a full seismogram into the Pnl and surface-wave segments and to allow time shift between observed and predicted waveforms. It uses grid search for 5 source parameters (relative strengths of the isotropic and compensated-linear-vector-dipole components and the strike, dip, and rake of the double-couple component) that minimize the waveform misfit. The scalar moment is estimated using the ratio of L2 norms of the data and synthetics. Focal depth can also be determined by repeating the inversion at different depths. We applied gCAP3D to the 2013 Ms 7.0 Lushan earthquake and its aftershocks using a 3D crustal-upper mantle velocity model derived from ambient noise tomography in the region. We first relocated the events using the double-difference method. We then used the finite-differences method and reciprocity principle to calculate Green's functions of the 3D model for 20 permanent broadband seismic stations within 200 km from the source region. We obtained moment tensors of the mainshock and 74 aftershocks ranging from Mw 5.2 to 3.4. The results show that the Lushan earthquake is a reverse faulting at a depth of 13-15 km on a plane dipping 40-47° to N46° W. Most of the aftershocks occurred off the main rupture plane and have similar focal mechanisms to the mainshock's, except in the proximity of the mainshock where the aftershocks' focal mechanisms display some variations.

Miscellaneous High-Resolution Seismic Imaging Investigations in Salt Lake and Utah Valleys for Earthquake Hazards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, W.J.; Williams, R.A.; Odum, J.K.; Worley, D.M.

2007-01-01

Introduction In support of earthquake hazards and ground motion studies by researchers at the Utah Geological Survey, University of Utah, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, and San Diego State University, the U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Hazards Team Intermountain West Project conducted three high-resolution seismic imaging investigations along the Wasatch Front between September 2003 and September 2005. These three investigations include: (1) a proof-of-concept P-wave minivib reflection imaging profile in south-central Salt Lake Valley, (2) a series of seven deep (as deep as 400 m) S-wave reflection/refraction soundings using an S-wave minivib in both Salt Lake and Utah Valleys, and (3) an S-wave (and P-wave) investigation to 30 m at four sites in Utah Valley and at two previously investigated S-wave (Vs) minivib sites. In addition, we present results from a previously unpublished downhole S-wave investigation conducted at four sites in Utah Valley. The locations for each of these investigations are shown in figure 1. Coordinates for the investigation sites are listed in Table 1. With the exception of the P-wave common mid-point (CMP) reflection profile, whose end points are listed, these coordinates are for the midpoint of each velocity sounding. Vs30 and Vs100, also shown in Table 1, are defined as the average shear-wave velocities to depths of 30 and 100 m, respectively, and details of their calculation can be found in Stephenson and others (2005). The information from these studies will be incorporated into components of the urban hazards maps along the Wasatch Front being developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, Utah Geological Survey, and numerous collaborating research institutions.

Investigating Deep-Marine Sediment Waves in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Using 3D Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Gani, M. R.

2016-12-01

Deep-water depositional elements have been studied for decades using outcrop, flume tank, sidescan sonar, and seismic data. Even though they have been well recognized by researchers, the improvements in the quality of 3D seismic data with increasingly larger dimension allow detailed analysis of deep-water depositional elements with new insights. This study focuses on the deep-marine sediment waves in the northern Gulf of Mexico. By interpreting a 3D seismic dataset covering 635 km2 at Mississippi Canyon and Viosca Knoll areas, large sediment waves, generated by sediment gravity flows, were mapped and analyzed with various seismic attributes. A succession of sediment waves, approximately 100 m in thickness, is observed on the marine slope that tapers out at the toe of the slope. The individual sediment wave exhibits up to 500 m in wavelength and up to 20 m in height. The wave crests oriented northeast-southwest are broadly aligned parallel to the regional slope-strike, indicating their sediment gravity flow origin. The crestlines are straight or slightly sinuous, with sinuosity increasing downslope. Their anti-dune patterns likely imply the presence of supercritical flows. The sediment waves have a retrogradational stacking pattern. Seismic amplitude maps of each sediment wave revealed that after depositing the majority of sheet-like sands on the upper slope, sediment gravity flows started to form large sediment waves on the lower slope. The steep and narrow upcurrent flanks of the sediment waves always display higher amplitudes than the gentle and wide downcurrent flanks, indicating that the sands were likely preferentially trapped along the upcurrent flanks, whereas the muds spread along the downcurrent flanks. The formation of sediment waves likely requires a moderate sand-mud ratio, as suggested by these observations: (1) absence of sediment waves on the upper slope where the sands were mainly deposited as unconfined sheets with a high sand-mud ratio; (2

Characterization of gas hydrate distribution using conventional 3D seismic data in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Xiujuan; Qiang, Jin; Collett, Timothy S.; Shi, Hesheng; Yang, Shengxiong; Yan, Chengzhi; Li, Yuanping; Wang, Zhenzhen; Chen, Duanxin

2016-01-01

A new 3D seismic reflection data volume acquired in 2012 has allowed for the detailed mapping and characterization of gas hydrate distribution in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea. Previous studies of core and logging data showed that gas hydrate occurrence at high concentrations is controlled by the presence of relatively coarse-grained sediment and the upward migration of thermogenic gas from the deeper sediment section into the overlying gas hydrate stability zone (BGHSZ); however, the spatial distribution of the gas hydrate remains poorly defined. We used a constrained sparse spike inversion technique to generate acoustic-impedance images of the hydrate-bearing sedimentary section from the newly acquired 3D seismic data volume. High-amplitude reflections just above the bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs) were interpreted to be associated with the accumulation of gas hydrate with elevated saturations. Enhanced seismic reflections below the BSRs were interpreted to indicate the presence of free gas. The base of the BGHSZ was established using the occurrence of BSRs. In areas absent of well-developed BSRs, the BGHSZ was calculated from a model using the inverted P-wave velocity and subsurface temperature data. Seismic attributes were also extracted along the BGHSZ that indicate variations reservoir properties and inferred hydrocarbon accumulations at each site. Gas hydrate saturations estimated from the inversion of acoustic impedance of conventional 3D seismic data, along with well-log-derived rock-physics models were also used to estimate gas hydrate saturations. Our analysis determined that the gas hydrate petroleum system varies significantly across the Pearl River Mouth Basin and that variability in sedimentary properties as a product of depositional processes and the upward migration of gas from deeper thermogenic sources control the distribution of gas hydrates in this basin.

Numerical Modeling of 3D Seismic Wave Propagation around Yogyakarta, the Southern Part of Central Java, Indonesia, Using Spectral-Element Method on MPI-GPU Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudarmaji; Rudianto, Indra; Eka Nurcahya, Budi

2018-04-01

A strong tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 Richter scale has been occurred in Yogyakarta and Central Java on May 26, 2006. The earthquake has caused severe damage in Yogyakarta and the southern part of Central Java, Indonesia. The understanding of seismic response of earthquake among ground shaking and the level of building damage is important. We present numerical modeling of 3D seismic wave propagation around Yogyakarta and the southern part of Central Java using spectral-element method on MPI-GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) computer cluster to observe its seismic response due to the earthquake. The homogeneous 3D realistic model is generated with detailed topography surface. The influences of free surface topography and layer discontinuity of the 3D model among the seismic response are observed. The seismic wave field is discretized using spectral-element method. The spectral-element method is solved on a mesh of hexahedral elements that is adapted to the free surface topography and the internal discontinuity of the model. To increase the data processing capabilities, the simulation is performed on a GPU cluster with implementation of MPI (Message Passing Interface).

A tree fell in the forest, and SPREE heard it: seismic recording of the 2011 St. Croix Valley Blowdown

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolin, E.; van der Lee, S.

2016-12-01

As part of the Superior Province Rifting Earthscope Experiment (SPREE), 82 broadband seismic stations from the EarthScope Flexible Array pool were deployed by the SPREE team from April 2011 through October 2013, to explore the deep structure of the Mid-Continent Rift System (Stein et al., 2011). The deployment included two crosslines with approximate station spacing of 10 km centered near the northern Minnesota-Wisconsin border. Analysis of long-period noise reveals strong seasonal and diurnal variations (Wolin et al., 2015). On 1 July 2011, a severe thunderstorm system swept over the St. Croix Valley, passing directly over the dense SPREE array. This storm system was accompanied by a series of downbursts that generated straight-line winds in excess of 100 km/hr, resulting in extensive damage to hundreds of thousands of acres of forest. Seven SPREE stations were located in the path of the storm, with two stations in the center of areas that were heavily damaged by downbursts. The stations remained in operation throughout this extreme weather event, capturing a unique record of ground noise generated by the storm system. We compare available radar reflectivity data with seismic noise power spectra throughout the event and show that storm cells generated significant broadband seismic signals as they passed over the region. Relative to typical background seismic noise levels, power between 0.05-10 Hz increased by 5-20 dB during the storm. Seismic noise levels can be compared to available wind speed data to provide a detailed record of wind speeds during the weather event. We also explore the long-period coherence of energy across the array, which is potentially useful to help constrain near-surface velocity structure at the array sites as well as to better characterize how atmospheric processes couple into the solid earth during severe weather events.

Evolution of the Upper Lithosphere in the ENAM Area from 3-D Wide-Angle Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuck, B.; Van Avendonk, H. J.

2016-12-01

Located offshore North Carolina, the ENAM study area contains the geologic record of the transition from continental rifting to seafloor spreading. In this study we analyze 2-D and 3-D marine wide-angle seismic data from the ENAM experiment with the goal of understanding the interaction between mantle melts and extension in the lithosphere during continental breakup. It is often assumed that magnetic anomalies are associated with continental breakup magmatism. These magnetic anomalies are formed when mantle melts penetrate thinned continental lithosphere leaving basalt flows on the surface. The typical magnetic anomalies of this system are the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) and the West African Coastal Magnetic Anomaly (WACMA). However, there also exists the Blake Spur Magnetic Anomaly (BSMA) which lies 200 km eastward of the ECMA. The BSMA has no mirror counterpart on the African side if rifting was symmetric in nature. This leads us to formulate two alternative hypotheses: 1) Oceanic crust exists between the ECMA and BSMA, or 2) The ECMA and BSMA form a wide volcanic margin. The first hypothesis would suggest the BSMA represents a sliver of West-African crust that was later transferred to the Atlantic plate by a mid-ocean ridge jump eastward. The second hypothesis would suggest asymmetric rifting accompanied by magmatism off North Carolina. Analysis of ENAM seismic refraction data will give insight into how the ECMA and BSMA are related to structure of the crust and mantle. We construct seismic velocity models (P and S-wave) along ENAM lines parallel and perpendicular to the margin to help determine the seismic anisotropy of the study area. Based on a preliminary analysis of the data, the seismic compressional velocity is 8% higher parallel to the margin and suggests the BSMA represents rifted continental lithosphere formed from mantle melt percolation which created a shape-preferred orientation of crystals in the upper mantle.

Constraints on Shallow Crustal Structure across the San Andreas Fault Zone, Coachella Valley, Southern California: Results from the Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, A.; Persaud, P.; Bauer, K.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.; Hole, J. A.; Goldman, M.

2015-12-01

The strong influence of basin structure and crustal heterogeneities on seismic wave propagation suggests that these factors should be included in calculations of strong ground shaking. Knowledge of the shallow subsurface is thus essential for an accurate seismic hazard estimate for the densely populated Coachella Valley, the region north of the potential M7.8 rupture near the Salton Sea. Using SSIP data, we analyzed first arrivals from nine 65-911 kg explosive shots recorded along a profile in the Coachella Valley in order to evaluate the interpretation of our 2D tomographic results and give added details on the structural complexity of the shallow crust. The line extends 37 km from the Peninsular Ranges to the Little San Bernardino Mountains crossing the major strands of the San Andreas Fault Zone. We fit traveltime curves to our picks with forward modeling ray tracing, and determined 1D P-wave velocity models for traveltime arrivals east and west of each shot, and a 2D model for the line. We also inferred the geometry of near-vertical faults from the pre-stack line migration method of Bauer et al. (2013). In general, the 1D models east of individual shots have deeper basement contacts and lower apparent velocities, ~5 km/s at 4 km depth, whereas the models west of individual shots have shallower basement and velocities up to 6 km/s at 2 km depth. Mismatches in basement depths (assuming 5-6 km/s) between individual 1D models indicate a shallowly dipping basement, deepening eastward towards the Banning Fault and shoaling abruptly farther east. An east-dipping structure in the 2D model also gives a better fit than horizontal layers. Based on high velocity zones derived from traveltimes at 9-20 km from the western end of the line, we included an offset from ~2 km to 4 km depth near the middle of the line, which significantly improved the 2D model fit. If fault-related, this offset could represent the Garnet Hill Fault if it continues southward in the subsurface.

Space Radar Image of Death Valley in 3-D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

This picture is a three-dimensional perspective view of Death Valley, California. This view was constructed by overlaying a SIR-C radar image on a U.S. Geological Survey digital elevation map. The SIR-C image is centered at 36.629 degrees north latitude and 117.069 degrees west longitude. We are looking at Stove Pipe Wells, which is the bright rectangle located in the center of the picture frame. Our vantage point is located atop a large alluvial fan centered at the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon. In the foreground on the left, we can see the sand dunes near Stove Pipe Wells. In the background on the left, the Valley floor gradually falls in elevation toward Badwater, the lowest spot in the United States. In the background on the right we can see Tucki Mountain. This SIR-C/X-SAR supersite is an area of extensive field investigations and has been visited by both Space Radar Lab astronaut crews. Elevations in the Valley range from 70 meters (230 feet) below sea level, the lowest in the United States, to more than 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) above sea level. Scientists are using SIR-C/X-SAR data from Death Valley to help the answer a number of different questions about Earth's geology. One question concerns how alluvial fans are formed and change through time under the influence of climatic changes and earthquakes. Alluvial fans are gravel deposits that wash down from the mountains over time. They are visible in the image as circular, fan-shaped bright areas extending into the darker valley floor from the mountains. Information about the alluvial fans helps scientists study Earth's ancient climate. Scientists know the fans are built up through climatic and tectonic processes and they will use the SIR-C/X-SAR data to understand the nature and rates of weathering processes on the fans, soil formation and the transport of sand and dust by the wind. SIR-C/X-SAR's sensitivity to centimeter-scale (inch-scale) roughness provides detailed maps of surface texture. Such information

Development of piggy-back basins in the Sub-Himalaya: structure of the Triyuga Valley in eastern Nepal from seismic reflection profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y. S.; Almeida, R. V.; Hubbard, J.; Liberty, L. M.; Foster, A. E.; Sapkota, S. N.

2017-12-01

The foreland fold and thrust belt in the Nepal Himalaya has developed over the last 2 My (Mugnier et al., 2004; Van der Beek et al., 2006), and is generally referred to as the Main Frontal Thrust system (MFT; Gansser, 1964). The thrust faults there are spaced 5-30 km apart. Where the faults are furthest from each other, they create piggy-back basins, known as "dun" valleys in the Himalaya. The easternmost of these basins in Nepal is the Triyuga river valley, a 35 km wide basin where the range front abruptly steps 15 km to the south. This dun valley is thought to be the youngest of Nepal, initiating in the Late Pleistocene (Kimura, 1999). In order to understand the sub-surface structure and development of the Triyuga Valley, we analyse high resolution seismic reflection profiles across the three basin-surrounding structures, as well as a north-south profile across the basin proper, in combination with field observations. These datasets reveal that the edges of the forward step are defined by three orthogonal thrust fronts, with abrupt changes in vergence direction. Sharp geometric changes along the range front may have implications for the propagation of earthquakes along the MFT. The surface rupture of the Nepal-Bihar 1934 earthquake was inferred to go around this thrust front (Sapkota et al., 2013), however field observations suggest that although past earthquakes have likely ruptured the surface here, these faults did not slip in 1934. Further, analogue models suggest that the filling of the basin with sediments may affect the activation of out of sequence thrusts (Toscani et al., 2014). This is consistent with field evidence of Quaternary reactivation of the Main Boundary Thrust north of the Triyuga Valley. We also compare these seismic profiles to one across the Jalthal anticline, an incipient structure forming 50 km south of the range front in easternmost Nepal (a section thought to have ruptured in 125; Nakata et al., 1998). We suggest that this may be an

GPS Imaging suggests links between climate, magmatism, seismicity, and tectonics in the Sierra Nevada-Long Valley Caldera-Walker Lane system, western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, W. C.; Blewitt, G.; Kreemer, C.; Smith, K.

2017-12-01

The Walker Lane is a region of complex active crustal transtension in the western Great Basin of the western United States, accommodating about 20% of the 50 mm/yr relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. The Long Valley caldera lies in the central Walker Lane in eastern California, adjacent to the eastern boundary of the Sierra Nevada/Great Valley microplate, and experiences intermittent inflation, uplift, and volcanic unrest from the magma chamber that resides at middle crustal depths. Normal and transform faults accommodating regional tectonic transtension pass by and through the caldera, complicating the interpretation of the GPS-measured strain rate field, estimates of fault slip rates, and seismic hazard. Several dozen continuously recording GPS stations measure strain and uplift in the area with mm precision. They observe that the most recent episode of uplift at Long Valley began in mid-2011, continuing until late 2016, raising the surface by 100 mm in 6 years. The timing of the initiation of uplift coincides with the beginning of severe drought in California. Furthermore, the timing of a recent pause in uplift coincides with the very wet 2016-2017 winter, which saw approximately double normal snow pack. In prior studies, we showed that the timing of changes in geodetically measured uplift rate of the Sierra Nevada coincides with the timing of drought conditions in California, suggesting a link between hydrological loading and Sierra Nevada elevation. Here we take the analysis three steps further to show that changes in Sierra Nevada uplift rate coincide in time with 1) enhanced inflation at the Long Valley caldera, 2) shifts in the patterns and rates of horizontal tensor strain rate, and 3) seismicity patterns in the central Walker Lane. We use GPS solutions from the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory and the new GPS Imaging technique to produce robust animations of the time variable strain and uplift fields. The goals of this work are to

A western gray whale mitigation and monitoring program for a 3-D seismic survey, Sakhalin Island, Russia.

PubMed

Johnson, S R; Richardson, W J; Yazvenko, S B; Blokhin, S A; Gailey, G; Jenkerson, M R; Meier, S K; Melton, H R; Newcomer, M W; Perlov, A S; Rutenko, S A; Würsig, B; Martin, C R; Egging, D E

2007-11-01

The introduction of anthropogenic sounds into the marine environment can impact some marine mammals. Impacts can be greatly reduced if appropriate mitigation measures and monitoring are implemented. This paper concerns such measures undertaken by Exxon Neftegas Limited, as operator of the Sakhalin-1 Consortium, during the Odoptu 3-D seismic survey conducted during 17 August-9 September 2001. The key environmental issue was protection of the critically endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), which feeds in summer and fall primarily in the Piltun feeding area off northeast Sakhalin Island. Existing mitigation and monitoring practices for seismic surveys in other jurisdictions were evaluated to identify best practices for reducing impacts on feeding activity by western gray whales. Two buffer zones were established to protect whales from physical injury or undue disturbance during feeding. A 1 km buffer protected all whales from exposure to levels of sound energy potentially capable of producing physical injury. A 4-5 km buffer was established to avoid displacing western gray whales from feeding areas. Trained Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs) on the seismic ship Nordic Explorer had the authority to shut down the air guns if whales were sighted within these buffers. Additional mitigation measures were also incorporated: Temporal mitigation was provided by rescheduling the program from June-August to August-September to avoid interference with spring arrival of migrating gray whales. The survey area was reduced by 19% to avoid certain waters <20 m deep where feeding whales concentrated and where seismic acquisition was a lower priority. The number of air guns and total volume of the air guns were reduced by about half (from 28 to 14 air guns and from 3,390 in(3) to 1,640 in(3)) relative to initial plans. "Ramp-up" (="soft-start") procedures were implemented. Monitoring activities were conducted as needed to implement some mitigation measures, and to assess

The analysis of the Tectonics - SSS - Seismicity System in the 3D-model of the Rasvumchorr Mine - Central Open Pit Natural and Technical System (Khibiny)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhirov, Dmitry; Klimov, Sergey; Zhirova, Anzhela; Panteleev, Alexey; Rybin, Vadim

2017-04-01

Main hazardous factors during the operation of deposits represent tectonics (structural dislocation), strain and stress state (SSS), and seismicity. The cause and effect relationships in the Fault Tectonics - SSS - Seismicity system were analyzed using a 3D geological and structural Rasvumchorr Mine - Central Open Pit model. This natural and technical system (NTS) has resulted from the development of the world-class apatite-nepheline deposits the Apatite Circus and Rasvumchorr Plateau. The 3D model integrates various spatial data on the earth's surface topography before and after mining, geometry of mines and dumps, SSS measurements and rock pressure, seismicity, fault tectonics and etc. The analysis of the 3D model has clearly demonstrated the localization of three main seismic emanation zones in the areas of maximum anthropogenic variation of the initial rock state, and namely: ore pass zone under the Southern edge of the Central open pit, collapse and joining zone of the Rasvumchorr Mine and NW edge of the open pit, and zone under the Apatite Circus plate - collapse console. And, on the contrary, in the area of a large dump under the underground mine, a perennial seismic minimum zone was identified. The relation of the seismicity and fault tectonics was revealed only in three local sectors near come certain echelon fissures of the Main Fault(MF). No confinement of increased seismicity areas to the MF and other numerous echelon fissures is observed. The same picture occurs towards manifestations of rock pressure. Only an insignificant part of echelon fissures (including low rank of hierarchy) controls hazardous manifestations of rock pressure (dumps, strong deformations of the mine contour, etc.). It is shown that the anthropogenic factor (explosive, geometry and arrangement of mined spaces and collapse console), as well as the time factor significantly change orientation and structure (contrast and heterogeneity) of the stress fields. Time series of natural

Effect of Damping and Yielding on the Seismic Response of 3D Steel Buildings with PMRF

PubMed Central

Haldar, Achintya; Rodelo-López, Ramon Eduardo; Bojórquez, Eden

2014-01-01

The effect of viscous damping and yielding, on the reduction of the seismic responses of steel buildings modeled as three-dimensional (3D) complex multidegree of freedom (MDOF) systems, is studied. The reduction produced by damping may be larger or smaller than that of yielding. This reduction can significantly vary from one structural idealization to another and is smaller for global than for local response parameters, which in turn depends on the particular local response parameter. The uncertainty in the estimation is significantly larger for local response parameter and decreases as damping increases. The results show the limitations of the commonly used static equivalent lateral force procedure where local and global response parameters are reduced in the same proportion. It is concluded that estimating the effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of steel buildings by using simplified models may be a very crude approximation. Moreover, the effect of yielding should be explicitly calculated by using complex 3D MDOF models instead of estimating it in terms of equivalent viscous damping. The findings of this paper are for the particular models used in the study. Much more research is needed to reach more general conclusions. PMID:25097892

Effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of 3D steel buildings with PMRF.

PubMed

Reyes-Salazar, Alfredo; Haldar, Achintya; Rodelo-López, Ramon Eduardo; Bojórquez, Eden

2014-01-01

The effect of viscous damping and yielding, on the reduction of the seismic responses of steel buildings modeled as three-dimensional (3D) complex multidegree of freedom (MDOF) systems, is studied. The reduction produced by damping may be larger or smaller than that of yielding. This reduction can significantly vary from one structural idealization to another and is smaller for global than for local response parameters, which in turn depends on the particular local response parameter. The uncertainty in the estimation is significantly larger for local response parameter and decreases as damping increases. The results show the limitations of the commonly used static equivalent lateral force procedure where local and global response parameters are reduced in the same proportion. It is concluded that estimating the effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of steel buildings by using simplified models may be a very crude approximation. Moreover, the effect of yielding should be explicitly calculated by using complex 3D MDOF models instead of estimating it in terms of equivalent viscous damping. The findings of this paper are for the particular models used in the study. Much more research is needed to reach more general conclusions.

Modelling the 3D post-seismic deformation signal of the Maule 2010 earthquake: Viscosity heterogeneity or non-linear creep?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña, C.; Heidbach, O.; Moreno, M.; Li, S.; Bedford, J. R.; Oncken, O.

2017-12-01

The surface deformation associated with the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake, Chile was recorded in great detail before, during and after the event. The quality of the post-seismic continuous GPS time series has facilitated a number of studies that have modelled the horizontal signal with a combination of after-slip and viscoelastic relaxation using linear Newtonian rheology. Li et al. (2017, GRL), one of the first studies that also looked into the details of the vertical post-seismic signal, showed that a homogeneous viscosity structure cannot well explain the vertical signal, but that with a heterogeneous viscosity distribution producing a better fit. It is, however, difficult to argue why viscous rock properties should change significantly with distance to the trench. Thus, here we investigate if a non-linear, strain-rate dependent power-law can fit the post-seismic signal in all three components - in particular the vertical one. We use the first 6 years of post-seismic cGPS data and investigate with a 2D geomechanical-numerical model along a profile at 36°S if non-linear creep can explain the deformation signal as well using reasonable rock properties and a temperature field derived for this region from Springer (1999). The 2D model geometry considers the slab as well as the Moho geometry. Our results show that with our model the post-seismic surface deformation signal can be reproduced as well as in the study of Li et al. (2017). These findings suggest that the largest deformations are produced by dislocation creep. Such a process would take place below the Andes ( 40 km depth) at the interface between the deeper, colder crust and the olivine-rich upper mantle, where the lowest effective viscosity results from the relaxation of tensional stresses imposed by the co-seismic displacement. Additionally, we present preliminary results from a 3D geomechanical-numerical model with the same rheology that provides more details of the post-seismic deformation especially

Present-day Mars' Seismicity Predicted from 3-D Thermal Evolution Models of Interior Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapmeyer, M.; Plesa, A. C.; Golombek, M.

2016-12-01

The InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) mission, to be launched in 2018, will carry the first in-situ seismic and heat flow instruments as well as a precision tracking on Mars. This Discovery-class mission will perform the most comprehensive geophysical investigation of the planet and provide an important baseline to constrain the present-day interior structure and heat budget of the planet, and, in turn, the thermal and chemical evolution of its interior. As the InSight lander will perform the measurements at a single location, numerical simulations of planetary interiors will greatly help to interpret the data in a global context. In this study we have used a series of numerical models of thermal evolution in a 3-D spherical geometry to assess the magnitude of present-day Mars seismicity. Our models assume a fixed crust with a variable thickness as inferred from gravity and topography data, that is enriched in radiogenic heat sources according to the surface abundances inferred from gamma-ray measurements. We test a diversity of parameters by varying the mantle reference viscosity as well as the depth-dependence of the viscosity, considering constant and variable thermal expansivity, varying the crustal thermal conductivity and the size of the core [1]. Our results predict an annual moment release between 1.60 x 1016 Nm and 5.46 x 1018 Nm similar to the values presented previously in [2] and [3]. However, while [2] used a mapping of tectonic surface faults to predict the spatial distribution of epicenters, we derive the distribution from the thermal evolution. Besides the Null-Hypothesis of a uniform distribution and the model of [2], this provides a new, self-consistent, competing hypothesis for both the amount and distribution of seismicity on Mars. [1] Plesa et al., LPSC, 2016 [2] Knapmeyer et al., JGR, 2006 [3] Golombek et al., Science 1992; LPSC 2002

Space Radar Image of Karakax Valley, China 3-D

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-15

This three-dimensional perspective of the remote Karakax Valley in the northern Tibetan Plateau of western China was created by combining two spaceborne radar images using a technique known as interferometry. Visualizations like this are helpful to scientists because they reveal where the slopes of the valley are cut by erosion, as well as the accumulations of gravel deposits at the base of the mountains. These gravel deposits, called alluvial fans, are a common landform in desert regions that scientists are mapping in order to learn more about Earth's past climate changes. Higher up the valley side is a clear break in the slope, running straight, just below the ridge line. This is the trace of the Altyn Tagh fault, which is much longer than California's San Andreas fault. Geophysicists are studying this fault for clues it may be able to give them about large faults. Elevations range from 4000 m (13,100 ft) in the valley to over 6000 m (19,700 ft) at the peaks of the glaciated Kun Lun mountains running from the front right towards the back. Scale varies in this perspective view, but the area is about 20 km (12 miles) wide in the middle of the image, and there is no vertical exaggeration. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01800

The use of exploration 3D seismic data to optimise oil exploration in OPL 210 deepwater, Nigeria

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, L.C.; Lilletveit, R.; Sandvoll, T.

1995-08-01

Allied Energy and the Statoil and BP Alliance are currently partners in the OPL 210 license, in deepwater Nigeria. The license has a 5 year initial exploration phase which carries a two well commitment. To optimize the location of these wells in this challenging and costly drilling environment the partnership has decided to acquire extensive exploration 3D seismic data within the block. Interpretation of the first of two planned 3D surveys has led to a much clearer understanding of: (a) The structural segmentation of the prospect and thus a clearer idea of the likely hydrocarbon pool size. (b) The distributionmore » of amplitude anomalies and thus, hopefully, a superior understanding of reservoir distribution and hydrocarbons. Here the limiting factor is clearly the lack of deepwater geophysical calibration, due to the absence of wells. Consequently, conclusions at this stage, are qualitative either than quantative. Combined with detailed seismic stratigraphic and high tech geophysical analysis, these two aspects will assist in the highgrading of segments in the prospect, prior to final decisions on the well locations. The first well, planned for 1995, will be one of the first wells drilled in the Nigerian deepwater area. Examples of both 2D and 3D data will be used to demonstrate the above and some of the first well results will be integrated into our interpretation to highlight how some of our perceptions may have changed.« less

Reexaming Owens Valley: Partitioning of Discrete and Distributed Transtension, Structural Controls on Magmatism, and Seismic Potential within an Active Rift Zone, Eastern California.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, D. A.; Haproff, P. J.; Yin, A.

2016-12-01

Crustal-scale transtensional deformation is common in intracontinental extensional settings. However, along-strike variations in the geometry, kinematics, and linkages between rift-related faults, along with controls on local magmatic plumbing, remain inadequately examined. In this study, we conducted geologic mapping of active structures within central and northern Owens Valley of eastern California. C. Owens Valley features right-slip oblique deformation accommodated by three discrete north-south-trending faults: (1) the right-slip Owens Valley fault (OVF) and rift-bounding (2) Sierra Nevada Frontal fault (SNFF) and (3) the White-Inyo Mountains fault (WIMF). The OVF also serves as a lithospheric-scale, vertical conduit for asthenospheric-derived magma to migrate upwards and erupt at Big Pine Volcanic Field. Right-slip shear within C. Owens Valley is transferred to the SNFF of N. Owens Valley via the Poverty Hills restraining bend. In contrast to C. Owens Valley, the northern segment is dominated by distributed E-W to NE-SW-oriented extension, evidenced by normal fault scarps throughout Volcanic Tablelands and basin floor. Furthermore, the White Mountain fault which bounds N. Owens Valley to the east consists of a master west-dipping detachment fault that thinned the lithosphere, allowing for asthenospheric upwelling into the crust beneath the western rift shoulder. Subvertical, right-slip faults of the SNFF provide a conduit for magma to erupt on the surface throughout the Long Valley Caldera, Mono-Inyo Craters, and Mono Basin region. Our mapping demonstrates complex strain partitioning of discrete and distributed deformation within an alternating pure and simple shear, transtensional rift zone. Lastly, we present previously unknown relationships in Owens Valley between lithospheric-scale fault systems, seismic potential, and rift magmatism.

Tectonic history in the Fort Worth Basin, north Texas, derived from well-log integration with multiple 3D seismic reflection surveys: implications for paleo and present-day seismicity in the basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnani, M. B.; Hornbach, M. J.

2016-12-01

Oil and gas exploration and production in the Fort Worth Basin (FWB) in north Texas have accelerated in the last 10 years due to the success of unconventional gas production. Here, hydraulic fracturing wastewater is disposed via re-injection into deep wells that penetrate Ordovician carbonate formations. The rise in wastewater injection has coincided with a marked rise in earthquake rates, suggesting a causal relationship between industry practices and seismicity. Most studies addressing this relationship in intraplate regions like the FWB focus on current seismicity, which provides an a-posteriori assessment of the processes involved. 3D seismic reflection data contribute complementary information on the existence, distribution, orientation and long-term deformation history of faults that can potentially become reactivated by the injection process. Here we present new insights into the tectonic evolution of faults in the FWB using multiple 3D seismic reflection surveys in the basin, west of the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex, where high-volume wastewater injection wells have increased most significantly in number in the past few years. The datasets image with remarkable clarity the 3,300 m-thick sedimentary rocks of the basin, from the crystalline basement to the Cretaceous cover, with particular detail of the Paleozoic section. The data, interpreted using coincident and nearby wells to correlate seismic reflections with stratigraphic markers, allow us to identify faults, extract their orientation, length and displacements at several geologic time intervals, and therefore, reconstruct the long-term deformation history. Throughout the basin, the data show that all seismically detectable faults were active during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian, but that displacement amounts drop below data resolution ( 7 m) in the post-Pennsylvanian deposits. These results indicate that faults have been inactive for at least the past 300 Ma, until the recent 2008 surge in

Precisely relocated seismicity using 3-D seismic velocity model by double-difference tomography method and orogenic processes in central and southern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagai, S.; Wu, Y.; Suppe, J.; Hirata, N.

2009-12-01

The island of Taiwan is located in the site of ongoing arc-continent collision zone between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Numerous geophysical and geological studies are done in and around Taiwan to develop various models to explain the tectonic processes in the Taiwan region. The active and young tectonics and the associated high seismicity in Taiwan provide us with unique opportunity to explore and understand the processes in the region related to the arc-continent collision. Nagai et al. [2009] imaged eastward dipping alternate high- and low-velocity bodies at depths of 5 to 25 km from the western side of the Central Mountain Range to the eastern part of Taiwan, by double-difference tomography [Zhang and Thurber, 2003] using three temporary seismic networks with the Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network(CWBSN). These three temporary networks are the aftershock observation after the 1999 Chi-Chi Taiwan earthquake and two dense linear array observations; one is across central Taiwan in 2001, another is across southern Taiwan in 2005, respectively. We proposed a new orogenic model, ’Upper Crustal Stacking Model’ inferred from our tomographic images. To understand the detailed seismic structure more, we carry on relocating earthquakes more precisely in central and southern Taiwan, using three-dimensional velocity model [Nagai et al., 2009] and P- and S-wave arrival times both from the CWBSN and three temporary networks. We use the double-difference tomography method to improve relative and absolute location accuracy simultaneously. The relocated seismicity is concentrated and limited along the parts of boundaries between low- and high-velocity bodies. Especially, earthquakes occurred beneath the Eastern Central Range, triggered by 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, delineate subsurface structural boundaries, compared with profiles of estimated seismic velocity. The relocated catalog and 3-D seismic velocity model give us some constraints to reconstruct

3-D frequency-domain seismic wave modelling in heterogeneous, anisotropic media using a Gaussian quadrature grid approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Bing; Greenhalgh, S. A.

2011-01-01

We present an extension of the 3-D spectral element method (SEM), called the Gaussian quadrature grid (GQG) approach, to simulate in the frequency-domain seismic waves in 3-D heterogeneous anisotropic media involving a complex free-surface topography and/or sub-surface geometry. It differs from the conventional SEM in two ways. The first is the replacement of the hexahedral element mesh with 3-D Gaussian quadrature abscissae to directly sample the physical properties or model parameters. This gives a point-gridded model which more exactly and easily matches the free-surface topography and/or any sub-surface interfaces. It does not require that the topography be highly smooth, a condition required in the curved finite difference method and the spectral method. The second is the derivation of a complex-valued elastic tensor expression for the perfectly matched layer (PML) model parameters for a general anisotropic medium, whose imaginary parts are determined by the PML formulation rather than having to choose a specific class of viscoelastic material. Furthermore, the new formulation is much simpler than the time-domain-oriented PML implementation. The specified imaginary parts of the density and elastic moduli are valid for arbitrary anisotropic media. We give two numerical solutions in full-space homogeneous, isotropic and anisotropic media, respectively, and compare them with the analytical solutions, as well as show the excellent effectiveness of the PML model parameters. In addition, we perform numerical simulations for 3-D seismic waves in a heterogeneous, anisotropic model incorporating a free-surface ridge topography and validate the results against the 2.5-D modelling solution, and demonstrate the capability of the approach to handle realistic situations.

Geomorphic response to tectonically-induced ground deformation in the Wabash Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fraser, G.S.; Thompson, T.A.; Olyphant, G.A.; Furer, L.; Bennett, S.W.

1997-01-01

Numerous low- to moderate-intensity earthquakes have been recorded in a zone of diffuse modern seismicity in southwest Indiana, southeast Illinois, and northernmost Kentucky. Structural elements within the zone include the Wabash Valley Fault System, the LaSalle Anticlinal Belt in western Illinois, and the Rough Creek-Shawneetown Fault System in northern Kentucky. The presence of seismically-induced liquefaction features in the near-surface alluvial sediments in the region indicates that strong ground motion has occurred in the recent geological past, but because the glacial and alluvial sediments in the Wabash Valley appear to be otherwise undisturbed, post-Paleozoic ground deformation resulting from movement on these structural elements has not yet been documented. Morphometric analysis of the land surface, detailed mapping of geomorphic elements in the valley, reconnaissance drilling of the Holocene and Pleistocene alluvium, and structural analysis of the bedrock underlying the valley were used to determine whether the geomorphology of the valley and the patterns of alluviation of the Wabash River were affected by surface deformation associated with the seismic zone during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Among the observed features in the valley that can be attributed to deformation are: (1) tilting of the modern land surface to the west, (2) preferred channel migration toward the west side of the valley, with concomitant impact on patterns of soil development and sedimentation rate, (3) a convex longitudinal profile of the Wabash River where it crosses the LaSalle Anticlinal Belt, and (4) increased incision of the river into its floodplain downstream from the anticlinal belt.

Relations between seismicity and deformation during unrest in Long Valley Caldera, California, from 1995 through 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, D.P.; Langbein, J.O.; Prejean, S.

2003-01-01

Unrest in Long Valley Caldera and the adjacent Sierra Nevada from 1995 through 2000 was dominated by three major episodes: (1) the March-April 1996 earthquake swarm in the east lobe of the south moat; (2) the July 1997-January 1998 caldera-wide unrest; and (3) a sequence of three M>5 earthquakes (9 June 1998, 13 July 1998, and 15 May 1999 UT) located in the Sierra Nevada block immediately south of the caldera. These three unrest episodes each had distinct characteristics with distinct implications for associated hazards. Seismicity developed as earthquake swarms for the 1996 and 1997-98 episodes, both of which were within the caldera. In contrast, the series of three M>5 earthquakes south of the caldera in 1998-99 each developed as a mainshock-aftershock sequence. Marginal deformation within the caldera associated with the 1996 swarm and the 1998-99 M>5 earthquakes is consistent with the cumulative seismic moments for the respective sequences. Deformation associated with the 1997-98 episode, however, was roughly five times larger than can be accounted for by the cumulative seismic moment of the associated earthquake swarm. We conclude that the 1997-98 episode was associated with mass transport (local intrusion of magma or magmatic brine) and that the associated earthquake swarm activity, which had a relatively high b -value of 1.2, was largely driven by the intrusive process. In contrast, the 1996 earthquake swarm and the 1998-99 M>5 mainshock-aftershock sequences, both with 'normal' b -values of ???0.9, represent brittle relaxation to previously accumulated stresses associated with little or no mass transport. These relations emphasize the importance of simultaneous, real-time monitoring of both seismicity and deformation as a basis for judging whether an evolving unrest episode has the potential for culminating in a volcanic eruption. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of Microseismicity with ArrayTechniques in the Peach Tree Valley Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Reyes, J. L.; Clayton, R. W.

2016-12-01

This study is focused on the analysis of microseismicity along the San Andreas Fault in the PeachTree Valley region. This zone is part of the transition zone between the locked portion to the south (Parkfield, CA) and the creeping section to the north (Jovilet, et al., JGR, 2014). The data for the study comes from a 2-week deployment of 116 Zland nodes in a cross-shaped configuration along (8.2 km) and across (9 km) the Fault. We analyze the distribution of microseismicity using a 3D backprojection technique, and we explore the use of Hidden Markov Models to identify different patterns of microseismicity (Hammer et al., GJI, 2013). The goal of the study is to relate the style of seismicity to the mechanical state of the Fault. The results show the evolution of seismic activity as well as at least two different patterns of seismic signals.

Diffraction of seismic waves from 3-D canyons and alluvial basins modeled using the Fast Multipole-accelerated BEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaillat, S.; Bonnet, M.; Semblat, J.

2007-12-01

Seismic wave propagation and amplification in complex media is a major issue in the field of seismology. To compute seismic wave propagation in complex geological structures such as in alluvial basins, various numerical methods have been proposed. The main advantage of the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is that only the domain boundaries (and possibly interfaces) are discretized, leading to a reduction of the number of degrees of freedom. The main drawback of the standard BEM is that the governing matrix is full and non- symmetric, which gives rise to high computational and memory costs. In other areas where the BEM is used (electromagnetism, acoustics), considerable speedup of solution time and decrease of memory requirements have been achieved through the development, over the last decade, of the Fast Multipole Method (FMM). The goal of the FMM is to speed up the matrix-vector product computation needed at each iteration of the GMRES iterative solver. Moreover, the governing matrix is never explicitly formed, which leads to a storage requirement well below the memory necessary for holding the complete matrix. The FMM-accelerated BEM therefore achieves substantial savings in both CPU time and memory. In this work, the FMM is extended to the 3-D frequency-domain elastodynamics and applied to the computation of seismic wave propagation in 3-D. The efficiency of the present FMM-BEM is demonstrated on seismology- oriented examples. First, the diffraction of a plane wave or a point source by a 3-D canyon is studied. The influence of the size of the meshed part of the free surface is studied, and computations are performed for non- dimensional frequencies higher than those considered in other studies (thanks to the use of the FM-BEM), with which comparisons are made whenever possible. The method is also applied to analyze the diffraction of a plane wave or a point source by a 3-D alluvial basin. A parametrical study is performed on the effect of the shape of the basin

Magmatic Systems in 3-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kent, G. M.; Harding, A. J.; Babcock, J. M.; Orcutt, J. A.; Bazin, S.; Singh, S.; Detrick, R. S.; Canales, J. P.; Carbotte, S. M.; Diebold, J.

2002-12-01

Multichannel seismic (MCS) images of crustal magma chambers are ideal targets for advanced visualization techniques. In the mid-ocean ridge environment, reflections originating at the melt-lens are well separated from other reflection boundaries, such as the seafloor, layer 2A and Moho, which enables the effective use of transparency filters. 3-D visualization of seismic reflectivity falls into two broad categories: volume and surface rendering. Volumetric-based visualization is an extremely powerful approach for the rapid exploration of very dense 3-D datasets. These 3-D datasets are divided into volume elements or voxels, which are individually color coded depending on the assigned datum value; the user can define an opacity filter to reject plotting certain voxels. This transparency allows the user to peer into the data volume, enabling an easy identification of patterns or relationships that might have geologic merit. Multiple image volumes can be co-registered to look at correlations between two different data types (e.g., amplitude variation with offsets studies), in a manner analogous to draping attributes onto a surface. In contrast, surface visualization of seismic reflectivity usually involves producing "fence" diagrams of 2-D seismic profiles that are complemented with seafloor topography, along with point class data, draped lines and vectors (e.g. fault scarps, earthquake locations and plate-motions). The overlying seafloor can be made partially transparent or see-through, enabling 3-D correlations between seafloor structure and seismic reflectivity. Exploration of 3-D datasets requires additional thought when constructing and manipulating these complex objects. As numbers of visual objects grow in a particular scene, there is a tendency to mask overlapping objects; this clutter can be managed through the effective use of total or partial transparency (i.e., alpha-channel). In this way, the co-variation between different datasets can be investigated

Joint Stochastic Inversion of Pre-Stack 3D Seismic Data and Well Logs for High Resolution Hydrocarbon Reservoir Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Verdin, C.

2007-05-01

This paper describes the successful implementation of a new 3D AVA stochastic inversion algorithm to quantitatively integrate pre-stack seismic amplitude data and well logs. The stochastic inversion algorithm is used to characterize flow units of a deepwater reservoir located in the central Gulf of Mexico. Conventional fluid/lithology sensitivity analysis indicates that the shale/sand interface represented by the top of the hydrocarbon-bearing turbidite deposits generates typical Class III AVA responses. On the other hand, layer- dependent Biot-Gassmann analysis shows significant sensitivity of the P-wave velocity and density to fluid substitution. Accordingly, AVA stochastic inversion, which combines the advantages of AVA analysis with those of geostatistical inversion, provided quantitative information about the lateral continuity of the turbidite reservoirs based on the interpretation of inverted acoustic properties (P-velocity, S-velocity, density), and lithotype (sand- shale) distributions. The quantitative use of rock/fluid information through AVA seismic amplitude data, coupled with the implementation of co-simulation via lithotype-dependent multidimensional joint probability distributions of acoustic/petrophysical properties, yields accurate 3D models of petrophysical properties such as porosity and permeability. Finally, by fully integrating pre-stack seismic amplitude data and well logs, the vertical resolution of inverted products is higher than that of deterministic inversions methods.

3D Seismic Velocity Structure Around Philippine Sea Slab Subducting Beneath Kii Peninsula, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibutani, T.; Imai, M.; Hirahara, K.; Nakao, S.

2013-12-01

Kii Peninsula is a part of the source area of Nankai Trough megaquakes and the region through which the strong seismic waves propagate to big cities in Kansai such as Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, and so on. Moreover, the rupture starting point is thought to be possibly at off the peninsula. Therefore, it is important for simulations of the megaquakes and the strong motions to estimate accurately the configuration of the Philippine Sea slab and the seismic velocity structure around the slab and to investigate properties and conditions of the plate boundary surface. Deep low frequency events (DLFEs) are widely distributed from western Shikoku to central Tokai at 30 - 40 km depths on the plate boundary (Obara, 2002). Results from seismic tomography and receiver function analyses revealed that the oceanic crust of the Philippine Sea plate had a low velocity and a high Vp/Vs ratio (Hirose et al., 2007; Ueno et al., 2008). Hot springs with high 3He/4He ratios are found in an area between central Kinki and Kii Peninsula despite in the forearc region (Sano and Wakita, 1985). These phenomena suggest the process that H2O subducting with the oceanic crust dehydrates at the depths, causes the DLFEs, and moves to shallower depths. We carried out linear array seismic observations in the Kii Peninsula since 2004 in order to estimate the structure of the Philippine Sea slab and the surrounding area. We have performed receiver function analyses for four profile lines in the dipping direction of the slab and two lines in the perpendicular direction so far. We estimated three dimensional shapes of seismic velocity discontinuities such as the continental Moho, the upper surface of the oceanic crust and the oceanic Moho (Imai et al., 2013, this session). In addition, we performed seismic tomography with a velocity model embedded the discontinuities and observed travel times at stations in the linear arrays, and successfully estimated 3D seismic velocity structure around the Philippine Sea

Quaternary evolution of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet from 3D seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montelli, A.; Dowdeswell, J. A.; Ottesen, D.; Johansen, S. E.

2016-12-01

The Quaternary seismic stratigraphy and architecture of the mid-Norwegian continental shelf and slope are investigated using extensive grids of marine 2D and 3D seismic reflection data that cover more than 100,000 km2 of the continental margin. At least 26 distinct regional palaeo-surfaces have been interpreted within the stratigraphy of the Quaternary Naust Formation on the mid-Norwegian margin. Multiple assemblages of buried glacigenic landforms are preserved within the Naust Formation across most of the study area, facilitating detailed palaeo-glaciological reconstructions. We document a marine-terminating, calving Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) margin present periodically on the Norwegian shelf since at least the beginning of the Quaternary. Elongate, streamlined landforms interpreted as mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGLs) have been found within the upper part of the Naust sequence N ( 1.9-1.6 Ma), sugesting the development of fast-flowing ice streams since that time. Shifts in the location of depocentres and direction of features indicative of fast ice-flow suggest that several reorganisations in the FIS drainage have occurred since 1.5 Ma. Subglacial landforms reveal a complex and dynamic ice sheet, with converging palaeo-ice streams and several flow-switching events that may reflect major changes in topography and internal ice-sheet structure. Lack of subglacial meltwater channels suggests a largely distributed, low-volume meltwater system that drained the FIS through permeable subglacial till without leaving much erosional evidence. This regional palaeo-environmental examination of the FIS provides a useful framework for ice-sheet modelling and shows that fragmentary preservation of buried surfaces and variability of ice-sheet dynamics should be taken into account when reconstructing glacial history from spatially limited datasets.

2D and 3D high resolution seismic imaging of shallow Solfatara crater in Campi Flegrei (Italy): new insights on deep hydrothermal fluid circulation processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Landro, Grazia; Gammaldi, Sergio; Serlenga, Vincenzo; Amoroso, Ortensia; Russo, Guido; Festa, Gaetano; D'Auria, Luca; Bruno, Pier Paolo; Gresse, Marceau; Vandemeulebrouck, Jean; Zollo, Aldo

2017-04-01

Seismic tomography can be used to image the spatial variation of rock properties within complex geological media such as volcanoes. Solfatara is a volcano located within the Campi Flegrei still active caldera, characterized by periodic episodes of extended, low-rate ground subsidence and uplift called bradyseism accompanied by intense seismic and geochemical activities. In particular, Solfatara is characterized by an impressive magnitude diffuse degassing, which underlines the relevance of fluid and heat transport at the crater and prompted further research to improve the understanding of the hydrothermal system feeding the surface phenomenon. In this line, an active seismic experiment, Repeated Induced Earthquake and Noise (RICEN) (EU Project MEDSUV), was carried out between September 2013 and November 2014 to provide time-varying high-resolution images of the structure of Solfatara. In this study we used the datasets provided by two different acquisition geometries: a) A 2D array cover an area of 90 x 115 m ^ 2 sampled by a regular grid of 240 vertical sensors deployed at the crater surface; b) two 1D orthogonal seismic arrays deployed along NE-SW and NW-SE directions crossing the 400 m crater surface. The arrays are sampled with a regular line of 240 receiver and 116 shots. We present 2D and 3D tomographic high-resolution P-wave velocity images obtained using two different tomographic methods adopting a multiscale strategy. The 3D image of the shallow (30-35 m) central part of Solfatara crater is performed through the iterative, linearized, tomographic inversion of the P-wave first arrival times. 2D P-wave velocity sections (60-70 m) are obtained using a non-linear travel-time tomography method based on the evaluation of a posteriori probability density with a Bayesian approach. The 3D retrieved images integrated with resistivity section and temperature and CO2 flux measurements , define the following characteristics: 1. A depth dependent P-wave velocity layer

2D Seismic Reflection Data across Central Illinois

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Valerie; Leetaru, Hannes

In a continuing collaboration with the Midwest Geologic Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) on the Evaluation of the Carbon Sequestration Potential of the Cambro-Ordovician Strata of the Illinois and Michigan Basins project, Schlumberger Carbon Services and WesternGeco acquired two-dimensional (2D) seismic data in the Illinois Basin. This work included the design, acquisition and processing of approximately 125 miles of (2D) seismic reflection surveys running west to east in the central Illinois Basin. Schlumberger Carbon Services and WesternGeco oversaw the management of the field operations (including a pre-shoot planning, mobilization, acquisition and de-mobilization of the field personnel and equipment), procurement of the necessarymore » permits to conduct the survey, post-shoot closure, processing of the raw data, and provided expert consultation as needed in the interpretation of the delivered product. Three 2D seismic lines were acquired across central Illinois during November and December 2010 and January 2011. Traversing the Illinois Basin, this 2D seismic survey was designed to image the stratigraphy of the Cambro-Ordovician sections and also to discern the basement topography. Prior to this survey, there were no regionally extensive 2D seismic data spanning this section of the Illinois Basin. Between the NW side of Morgan County and northwestern border of Douglas County, these seismic lines ran through very rural portions of the state. Starting in Morgan County, Line 101 was the longest at 93 miles in length and ended NE of Decatur, Illinois. Line 501 ran W-E from the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP) site to northwestern Douglas County and was 25 miles in length. Line 601 was the shortest and ran N-S past the IBDP site and connected lines 101 and 501. All three lines are correlated to well logs at the IBDP site. Originally processed in 2011, the 2D seismic profiles exhibited a degradation of signal quality below ~400 millisecond (ms) which made

Optical manipulation of valley pseduospin in 2D semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Ziliang

Valley polarization associated with the occupancy in the energy degenerate but quantum mechanically distinct valleys in the momentum space closely resembles spin polarization and has been proposed as a pseudospin carrier for future quantum information technologies. Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) crystals, with broken inversion symmetry and large spin-orbital coupling, support robust valley polarization and therefore provide an important platform for studying valley-dependent physics. Besides optical excitation and photoluminescence detection, valley polarization has been electrically measured through the valley Hall effect and created through spin injection from ferromagnetic semiconductor contacts. Moreover, the energy degeneracy of the valley degree of freedom has been lifted by the optical Stark effect. Recently, we have demonstrated optical manipulation of valley coherence, i.e., of the valley pseudospin, by the optical Stark effect in monolayer WSe2. Using below-bandgap circularly polarized light, we rotated the valley pseudospin on the femtosecond time scale. Both the direction and speed of the rotation can be optically controlled by tuning the dynamic phase of excitons in opposite valleys. The pseudospin rotation was identified by changes in the polarization of the photoluminescence. In addition, by varying the time delay between the excitation and control pulses, we directly probed the lifetime of the intervalley coherence. Similar rotation levels have also been observed in static magneto-optic experiments. Our work presents an important step towards the full control of the valley degree of freedom in 2D semiconductors. The work was done in collaboration with Dr. Dezheng Sun and Prof. Tony F. Heinz.

New 3D seismicity maps using chromo-stereoscopy with two alternative freewares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamoto, Y.

2011-12-01

Seismicity maps play a key role in an introduction of geosciences studies or outreach programs. Various techniques are used in order to show earthquakes in a three dimensional field. To use "chromo-stereoscopy" is our simple and easier-making solution. The Chroma Depth 3D Glasses are employed for this purpose. The glasses consist of two transparent blazed grating films covered with a paper holder and cost a little (1 US$). Looking through these glasses, the colored chart turns into three dimensional perspective due to the mechanism that the color codes make a depth dimension with dispersion. We use two complementary freewares to make maps, the GMT (Generic Mapping Tools, Wessel and Smith.1988) and the POV-Ray (Persistence of Vision Pty. Ltd. 2004). The two softwares have their own advantages; the GMT is specialized for map making with simple scripts, while the POV-Ray produces realistic 3D rendering images with more complicated scripts. The earthquakes are plotted with the rainbow color codes depending on their depths in a black background as printed or PC images. Therefore, the red colored shallow earthquakes are float in front and blue colored ones sink deeper. This effect is so amazing that the students who first wear these glasses are strongly moved and fascinated with this simple mechanism. The data used here are from JMA seismicity catalogue and USGS (ANSS) catalogue. The POV-Ray version needs coastline data, so we got them from the Coastline Extractor (NGDC) web site. Also, the POR-Ray has no function to draw lines in three dimensions, so we had to make some trials for showing them in relief. The main target of our map is "the Wadati-Beniof zone", in which the sub-ducting oceanic plate surface is fringed by deeper earthquakes colored yellow, green to blue. The active volcanic regions such as the Hawaii islands or the active fault regions such as the San Andreas Fault are also effective targets of our method. However, since their shallow complicated seismic

Oceanographer transform fault structure compared to that of surrounding oceanic crust: Results from seismic refraction data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambos, E. L.; Hussong, D. M.

1986-02-01

A high quality seismic refraction data set was collected near the intersection of the tranform portion of the Oceanographer Fracture Zone (OFZ) with the adjacent northern limb of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge spreading center (MAR). One seismic line was shot down the axis of the transform valley. Another was shot parallel to the spreading center, crossing from normal oceanic crust into the transform valley, and out again. This latter line was recorded by four Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs) spaced along its length, providing complete reversed coverage over the crucial transform valley zone. Findings indicate that whereas the crust of the transform valley is only slightly thinner (4.5 km) compared to normal oceanic crust (5-8 km), the structure is different. Velocities in the range of 6.9 to 7.7. km/sec, which are characteristics of seismic layer 3B, are absent, although a substantial thickness (approximately 3 km) of 6.1-6.8 km/sec material does appear to be present. The upper crust, some 2 km in thickness, is characterized by a high velocity gradient (1.5 sec -1) in which veloxity increases from 2.7 km/sec at the seafloor to 5.8 km/sec at the base of the section. A centrally-located deep of the transform valley has thinner crust (1-2 km), whereas the crust gradually thickens past the transform valley-spreading center intersection. Analysis of the seismic line crossing sub-perpendicular to the transform valley demonstrates abrupt thinning of the upper crustal section, and thickening of the lower crust outside of the trasform valley. In addition, high-velocity material seems to occur under the valley flanks, particularly the southern flanking ridge. This ridge, which is on the side of the transform opposite to the intersection of spreading ridge and transform, may be an expression of uplifted, partially serpentinized upper mantle rocks.

Groundwater exploration in a Quaternary sediment body by shear-wave reflection seismics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirrung, M.; Polom, U.; Krawczyk, C. M.

2008-12-01

The detailed investigation of a shallow aquifer structure is the prerequisite for choosing a proper well location for groundwater exploration drilling for human drinking water supply and subsequent managing of the aquifer system. In the case of shallow aquifers of some 10 m in depth, this task is still a challenge for high-resolution geophysical methods, especially in populated areas. In areas of paved surfaces, shallow shear-wave reflection seismics is advantageous compared to conventional P-wave seismic methods. The sediment body of the Alfbach valley within the Vulkaneifel region in Germany, partly covered by the village Gillenfeld, was estimated to have a maximum thickness of nearly 60 m. It lies on top of a complicated basement structure, constituted by an incorporated lava flow near the basement. For the positioning of new well locations, a combination of a SH-wave land streamer receiver system and a small, wheelbarrow-mounted SH-wave source was used for the seismic investigations. This equipment can be easily applied also in residential areas without notable trouble for the inhabitants. The results of the 2.5D profiling show a clear image of the sediment body down to the bedrock with high resolution. Along a 1 km seismic profile, the sediment thickness varies between 20 to more than 60 m in the centre of the valley. The reflection behaviour from the bedrock surface corroborates the hypothesis of a basement structure with distinct topography, including strong dipping events from the flanks of the valley and strong diffractions from subsurface discontinuities. The reflection seismic imaging leads to an estimation of the former shape of the valley and a reconstruction of the flow conditions at the beginning of the sedimentation process.

Predicting seismic anisotropy in D'' from global mantle flow models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowacki, A. J.; Walker, A.; Forte, A. M.; Wookey, J.; Kendall, J. M.

2010-12-01

The strong seismic anisotropy of D'' revealed by measurement of shear wave splitting is commonly considered a signature of convectional flow in the lowermost mantle. However, the relationship between the nature of mantle flow and the seismic observations is unclear. In order to test the hypothesis that anisotropy is caused by a deformation-induced crystallographic preferred orientation, we combine 3D models of mantle flow, simulations of the deformation of polycrystalline composites, and new seismic data. We make use of an emerging suite of models of mantle dynamics, which invert data from mineral physics experiments, seismic P- and S-wave travel times, and geodynamic surface observations, to produce an estimate of the current global scale 3D flow in the silicate Earth. Seismic tomography---and hence these dynamic models---is particularly well-constrained beneath Central America because of fortuitous earthquake and seismometer locations. We trace particles through the flow models within three different regions of D'' beneath Central and North America and use the strain field from this tracing as boundary conditions for visco-plastic modelling of texture development in representative polycrystalline samples. In order to simulate texture development we calculate the orientation of each crystal in each sample at each step in the flow. Grain interactions are described using a self-consistent approach, where the crystal is considered embedded in a homogenous effective medium, representing the surrounding grains as an average of the whole sample. Parameters describing the single crystal plasticity (e.g. slip system activities) are chosen to agree with existing experimental results for the deformation of lower mantle minerals, or are taken from parameterisations of the Peierls-Nabarro model of dislocations parameterised using density functional theory. The calculated textures are then used to predict the elastic properties of the deforming lowermost mantle, and thus the

High-resolution seismic profiling reveals faulting associated with the 1934 Ms 6.6 Hansel Valley earthquake (Utah, USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruno, Pier Paolo G.; Duross, Christopher; Kokkalas, Sotirios

2017-01-01

The 1934 Ms 6.6 Hansel Valley, Utah, earthquake produced an 8-km-long by 3-km-wide zone of north-south−trending surface deformation in an extensional basin within the easternmost Basin and Range Province. Less than 0.5 m of purely vertical displacement was measured at the surface, although seismologic data suggest mostly strike-slip faulting at depth. Characterization of the origin and kinematics of faulting in the Hansel Valley earthquake is important to understand how complex fault ruptures accommodate regions of continental extension and transtension. Here, we address three questions: (1) How does the 1934 surface rupture compare with faults in the subsurface? (2) Are the 1934 fault scarps tectonic or secondary features? (3) Did the 1934 earthquake have components of both strike-slip and dip-slip motion? To address these questions, we acquired a 6.6-km-long, high-resolution seismic profile across Hansel Valley, including the 1934 ruptures. We observed numerous east- and west-dipping normal faults that dip 40°−70° and offset late Quaternary strata from within a few tens of meters of the surface down to a depth of ∼1 km. Spatial correspondence between the 1934 surface ruptures and subsurface faults suggests that ruptures associated with the earthquake are of tectonic origin. Our data clearly show complex basin faulting that is most consistent with transtensional tectonics. Although the kinematics of the 1934 earthquake remain underconstrained, we interpret the disagreement between surface (normal) and subsurface (strike-slip) kinematics as due to slip partitioning during fault propagation and to the effect of preexisting structural complexities. We infer that the 1934 earthquake occurred along an ∼3-km wide, off-fault damage zone characterized by distributed deformation along small-displacement faults that may be alternatively activated during different earthquake episodes.

Is 3D true non linear traveltime tomography reasonable ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero, A.; Virieux, J.

2003-04-01

The data sets requiring 3D analysis tools in the context of seismic exploration (both onshore and offshore experiments) or natural seismicity (micro seismicity surveys or post event measurements) are more and more numerous. Classical linearized tomographies and also earthquake localisation codes need an accurate 3D background velocity model. However, if the medium is complex and a priori information not available, a 1D analysis is not able to provide an adequate background velocity image. Moreover, the design of the acquisition layouts is often intrinsically 3D and renders difficult even 2D approaches, especially in natural seismicity cases. Thus, the solution relies on the use of a 3D true non linear approach, which allows to explore the model space and to identify an optimal velocity image. The problem becomes then practical and its feasibility depends on the available computing resources (memory and time). In this presentation, we show that facing a 3D traveltime tomography problem with an extensive non-linear approach combining fast travel time estimators based on level set methods and optimisation techniques such as multiscale strategy is feasible. Moreover, because management of inhomogeneous inversion parameters is more friendly in a non linear approach, we describe how to perform a jointly non-linear inversion for the seismic velocities and the sources locations.

Effects of realistic topography on the ground motion of the Colombian Andes - A case study at the Aburrá Valley, Antioquia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Restrepo, Doriam; Bielak, Jacobo; Serrano, Ricardo; Gómez, Juan; Jaramillo, Juan

2016-03-01

This paper presents a set of deterministic 3-D ground motion simulations for the greater metropolitan area of Medellín in the Aburrá Valley, an earthquake-prone region of the Colombian Andes that exhibits moderate-to-strong topographic irregularities. We created the velocity model of the Aburrá Valley region (version 1) using the geological structures as a basis for determining the shear wave velocity. The irregular surficial topography is considered by means of a fictitious domain strategy. The simulations cover a 50 × 50 × 25 km3 volume, and four Mw = 5 rupture scenarios along a segment of the Romeral fault, a significant source of seismic activity in Colombia. In order to examine the sensitivity of ground motion to the irregular topography and the 3-D effects of the valley, each earthquake scenario was simulated with three different models: (i) realistic 3-D velocity structure plus realistic topography, (ii) realistic 3-D velocity structure without topography, and (iii) homogeneous half-space with realistic topography. Our results show how surface topography affects the ground response. In particular, our findings highlight the importance of the combined interaction between source-effects, source-directivity, focusing, soft-soil conditions, and 3-D topography. We provide quantitative evidence of this interaction and show that topographic amplification factors can be as high as 500 per cent at some locations. In other areas within the valley, the topographic effects result in relative reductions, but these lie in the 0-150 per cent range.

Geometry and kinematics of accretionary wedge faults inherited from the structure and rheology of the incoming sedimentary section; insights from 3D seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Rebecca; Orme, Haydn; Lenette, Kathryn; Jackson, Christopher; Fitch, Peter; Phillips, Thomas; Moore, Gregory

2017-04-01

Intra-wedge thrust faults represent important conduits for fluid flow in accretionary prisms, modulating pore fluid pressure, effective stress and, ultimately, the seismic hazard potential of convergent plate boundaries. Despite its importance, we know surprisingly little regarding the 3D geometry and kinematics of thrust networks in accretionary prisms, largely due to a lack of 3D seismic reflection data providing high-resolution, 3D images. To address this we here present observations from two subduction zones, the Nankai and Lesser Antilles margins, where 3D seismic and borehole data allow us to constrain the geometry and kinematics of intra-wedge fault networks and to thus shed light on the mechanisms responsible for their structural style variability. At the Muroto transect, Nankai margin we find that the style of protothrust zone deformation varies markedly along-strike over distances of only a few km. Using structural restoration and quantitative fault analysis, we reveal that in the northern part of the study area deformation occurred by buckle folding followed by faulting. Further south, intra-wedge faults nucleate above the décollement and propagate radially with no folding, resulting in variable connectivity between faults and the décollement. The seismic facies character of sediments immediately above the décollement varies along strike, with borehole data revealing that, in the north, where buckle folding dominates un-cemented Lower Shikoku Basin sediments overlie the décollement. In contrast, further south, Opal CT-cemented, and thus rigid Upper Shikoku Basin sediments overlie the décollement. We suggest these along-strike variations in diagenesis and thus rheology control the observed structural style variability. Near Barbados, at the Lesser Antilles margin, rough subducting plate relief is blanketed by up to 700 m of sediment. 3D seismic data reveal that basement relief is defined by linear normal fault blocks and volcanic ridges, and sub

Hydrocarbon Seeps Formations: a Study Using 3-D Seismic Attributes in Combination with Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Pineda, O. G.; MacDonald, I. R.; Shedd, W.

2011-12-01

Analyzing the magnitude of oil discharges from natural hydrocarbon seeps is important in improving our understanding of carbon contribution as oil migrates from deeper sediments to the water column, and then eventually to the atmosphere. Liquid hydrocarbon seepage in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is associated with deep cutting faults, associated with vertical salt movement, that provide conduits for the upward migration of oil and gas. Seeps transform surface geology and generate prominent geophysical targets that can be identified on 3-D seismic data as seafloor amplitude anomalies maps that correlate with the underlying deep fault systems. Using 3D seismic data, detailed mapping of the northern GOM has identified more than 21,000 geophysical anomalies across the basin. In addition to seismic data, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images have proven to be a reliable tool for localizing natural seepage of oil. We used a Texture Classifier Neural Network Algorithm (TCNNA) to process more than 1200 SAR images collected over the GOM. We quantified more than 900 individual seep formations distributed along the continental shelf and in deep water. Comparison of the geophysical anomalies with the SAR oil slick targets shows good general agreement between the distributions of the two indicators. However, there are far fewer active oil slicks than geophysical anomalies, most of which are probably associated with gas seepage. By examining several sites where the location of active venting can be determined by submersibles observations, we found that the active oily vents are often spatially offset from the most intense geophysical targets (i.e. GC600, GC767, GC204, etc). In addition to the displacement of the oil by deep sea currents, we propose that during the 100K years of activity, the location of the vents on the seafloor probably migrate as carbonate cementation reduces the permeability of the upper sediment. Many of the geophysical targets may represent

Efficient realization of 3D joint inversion of seismic and magnetotelluric data with cross gradient structure constraint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, H.; Zhang, H.; Gao, J.

2016-12-01

Seismic and magnetotelluric (MT) imaging methods are generally used to characterize subsurface structures at various scales. The two methods are complementary to each other and the integration of them is helpful for more reliably determining the resistivity and velocity models of the target region. Because of the difficulty in finding empirical relationship between resistivity and velocity parameters, Gallardo and Meju [2003] proposed a joint inversion method enforcing resistivity and velocity models consistent in structure, which is realized by minimizing cross gradients between two models. However, it is extremely challenging to combine two different inversion systems together along with the cross gradient constraints. For this reason, Gallardo [2007] proposed a joint inversion scheme that decouples the seismic and MT inversion systems by iteratively performing seismic and MT inversions as well as cross gradient minimization separately. This scheme avoids the complexity of combining two different systems together but it suffers the issue of balancing between data fitting and structure constraint. In this study, we have developed a new joint inversion scheme that avoids the problem encountered by the scheme of Gallardo [2007]. In the new scheme, seismic and MT inversions are still separately performed but the cross gradient minimization is also constrained by model perturbations from separate inversions. In this way, the new scheme still avoids the complexity of combining two different systems together and at the same time the balance between data fitting and structure consistency constraint can be enforced. We have tested our joint inversion algorithm for both 2D and 3D cases. Synthetic tests show that joint inversion better reconstructed the velocity and resistivity models than separate inversions. Compared to separate inversions, joint inversion can remove artifacts in the resistivity model and can improve the resolution for deeper resistivity structures. We

Using Acceleration Records as Diffuse Fields for Tomography of the Valley of Mexico City: Synthetic Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baena, M.; Perton, M.; Molina-Villegas, J. C.; Sanchez-Sesma, F. J.

2013-12-01

In order to improve the understanding of the seismic response of Mexico City Valley, we have proposed to perform a tomography study of the seismic wave velocities. For that purpose, we used a collection of acceleration seismograms (corresponding to earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 4.5 to 8.1 and various epicentral distances to the City) recorded since 1985 in 83 stations distributed across the Valley. The H/V spectral ratios (obtained from average autocorrelations) strongly suggest these movements belong to a 3D generalized diffuse field. Thus, we interpret that cross-correlations between the signals of station pairs are proportional to the imaginary part of the corresponding Green function. Finally, the dispersion curves are constructed from the Green function which lead to the tomography. Other tomographies have already been made around the world using either the seismic coda or seismic noise. We used instead the ensemble of many earthquakes from distant sources that have undergone multiple scattering by the heterogeneities of the Earth and assume the wave fields are equipartitioned. The purpose of the present study is to describe the different steps of the data processing by using synthetic models. The wave propagation within an alluvial basin is simulated using the Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM) in 2D configuration for the propagation of P and SV waves. The theoretical Green function for a station pair is obtained by placing a unit force at one station and a receiver at the other. The valley illumination is composed by incoming waves which are simulated using distant independent sources and several diffractors. Data process is validated by the correct retrieval the theoretical Green function. We present here the in-plane Green function for the P-SV case and show the dispersion curves constructed from the cross-correlations compared with analytic results for a layer over a half-space. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. This study is partially supported by AXA

Space Radar Image of Karakax Valley, China 3-D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This three-dimensional perspective of the remote Karakax Valley in the northern Tibetan Plateau of western China was created by combining two spaceborne radar images using a technique known as interferometry. Visualizations like this are helpful to scientists because they reveal where the slopes of the valley are cut by erosion, as well as the accumulations of gravel deposits at the base of the mountains. These gravel deposits, called alluvial fans, are a common landform in desert regions that scientists are mapping in order to learn more about Earth's past climate changes. Higher up the valley side is a clear break in the slope, running straight, just below the ridge line. This is the trace of the Altyn Tagh fault, which is much longer than California's San Andreas fault. Geophysicists are studying this fault for clues it may be able to give them about large faults. Elevations range from 4000 m (13,100 ft) in the valley to over 6000 m (19,700 ft) at the peaks of the glaciated Kun Lun mountains running from the front right towards the back. Scale varies in this perspective view, but the area is about 20 km (12 miles) wide in the middle of the image, and there is no vertical exaggeration. The two radar images were acquired on separate days during the second flight of the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in October 1994. The interferometry technique provides elevation measurements of all points in the scene. The resulting digital topographic map was used to create this view, looking northwest from high over the valley. Variations in the colors can be related to gravel, sand and rock outcrops. This image is centered at 36.1 degrees north latitude, 79.2 degrees east longitude. Radar image data are draped over the topography to provide the color with the following assignments: Red is L-band vertically transmitted, vertically received; green is the average of L-band vertically transmitted

3-D Simulation of Earthquakes on the Cascadia Megathrust: Key Parameters and Constraints from Offshore Structure and Seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirth, E. A.; Frankel, A. D.; Vidale, J. E.; Stone, I.; Nasser, M.; Stephenson, W. J.

2017-12-01

The Cascadia subduction zone has a long history of M8 to M9 earthquakes, inferred from coastal subsidence, tsunami records, and submarine landslides. These megathrust earthquakes occur mostly offshore, and an improved characterization of the megathrust is critical for accurate seismic hazard assessment in the Pacific Northwest. We run numerical simulations of 50 magnitude 9 earthquake rupture scenarios on the Cascadia megathrust, using a 3-D velocity model based on geologic constraints and regional seismicity, as well as active and passive source seismic studies. We identify key parameters that control the intensity of ground shaking and resulting seismic hazard. Variations in the down-dip limit of rupture (e.g., extending rupture to the top of the non-volcanic tremor zone, compared to a completely offshore rupture) result in a 2-3x difference in peak ground acceleration (PGA) for the inland city of Seattle, Washington. Comparisons of our simulations to paleoseismic data suggest that rupture extending to the 1 cm/yr locking contour (i.e., mostly offshore) provides the best fit to estimates of coastal subsidence during previous Cascadia earthquakes, but further constraints on the down-dip limit from microseismicity, offshore geodetics, and paleoseismic evidence are needed. Similarly, our simulations demonstrate that coastal communities experience a four-fold increase in PGA depending upon their proximity to strong-motion-generating areas (i.e., high strength asperities) on the deeper portions of the megathrust. An improved understanding of the structure and rheology of the plate interface and accretionary wedge, and better detection of offshore seismicity, may allow us to forecast locations of these asperities during a future Cascadia earthquake. In addition to these parameters, the seismic velocity and attenuation structure offshore also strongly affects the resulting ground shaking. This work outlines the range of plausible ground motions from an M9 Cascadia

Calibrating and monitoring the western gray whale mitigation zone and estimating acoustic transmission during a 3D seismic survey, Sakhalin Island, Russia.

PubMed

Rutenko, A N; Borisov, S V; Gritsenko, A V; Jenkerson, M R

2007-11-01

A 3D marine seismic survey of the Odoptu license area off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, was conducted by DalMorNefteGeofizika (DMNG) on behalf of Exxon Neftegas Limited and the Sakhalin-1 consortium during mid-August through early September 2001. The key environmental issue identified in an environmental impact assessment was protection of the critically endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), which spends the summer-fall open water period feeding off northeast Sakhalin Island in close proximity to the seismic survey area. Seismic mitigation and monitoring guidelines and recommendations were developed and implemented to reduce impacts on the feeding activity of western gray whales. Results of the acoustic monitoring program indicated that the noise monitoring and mitigation program was successful in reducing exposure of feeding western gray whales to seismic noise.

AxiSEM3D: a new fast method for global wave propagation in 3-D Earth models with undulating discontinuities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leng, K.; Nissen-Meyer, T.; van Driel, M.; Al-Attar, D.

2016-12-01

We present a new, computationally efficient numerical method to simulate global seismic wave propagation in realistic 3-D Earth models with laterally heterogeneous media and finite boundary perturbations. Our method is a hybrid of pseudo-spectral and spectral element methods (SEM). We characterize the azimuthal dependence of 3-D wavefields in terms of Fourier series, such that the 3-D equations of motion reduce to an algebraic system of coupled 2-D meridional equations, which can be solved by a 2-D spectral element method (based on www.axisem.info). Computational efficiency of our method stems from lateral smoothness of global Earth models (with respect to wavelength) as well as axial singularity of seismic point sources, which jointly confine the Fourier modes of wavefields to a few lower orders. All boundary perturbations that violate geometric spherical symmetry, including Earth's ellipticity, topography and bathymetry, undulations of internal discontinuities such as Moho and CMB, are uniformly considered by means of a Particle Relabeling Transformation.The MPI-based high performance C++ code AxiSEM3D, is now available for forward simulations upon 3-D Earth models with fluid outer core, ellipticity, and both mantle and crustal structures. We show novel benchmarks for global wave solutions in 3-D mantle structures between our method and an independent, fully discretized 3-D SEM with remarkable agreement. Performance comparisons are carried out on three state-of-the-art tomography models, with seismic period going down to 5s. It is shown that our method runs up to two orders of magnitude faster than the 3-D SEM for such settings, and such computational advantage scales favourably with seismic frequency. By examining wavefields passing through hypothetical Gaussian plumes of varying sharpness, we identify in model-wavelength space the limits where our method may lose its advantage.

Investigating the complex structural integrity of the Zeit Bay Field, Gulf of Suez, Egypt, using interpretation of 3D seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afife, M.; Salem, M.; Aziz, M. Abdel

2017-07-01

Zeit Bay Field is one of the most important oil-bearing fields in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, producing oil from the fractured basement rocks. Due to the complex structural setting of the area and the classical exploration concept that was based mainly on 2D seismic survey data, the area suffered from limited hydrocarbon interest for several years. During this time, most of the drilled wells hit structural highs and resulted in several dry holes. The present study is based on the interpretation of more recently acquired 3D seismic survey data as, matched with the available well logs, used to understand the complex structural setting of the Zeit Bay Field and provide insight into the entrapment style of the implied hydrocarbons. Several selected seismic cross sections were constructed, to extract subsurface geologic information, using available seismic profiles and wells. In addition, structure contour maps (isochronous maps, converted to depth maps) were constructed for the peaks of the basement, Nubian Sandstone, Kareem and Belayim Formations. Folds (anticlines and synclines) and faults (dip-slip) are identified on these maps, both individually and in groups, giving rise to step-like belts, as well as graben and horst blocks.

Space Radar Image of Long Valley, California - 3-D view

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-01

This is a three-dimensional perspective view of Long Valley, California by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar on board the space shuttle Endeavour. This view was constructed by overlaying a color composite SIR-C image on a digital elevation map. The digital elevation map was produced using radar interferometry, a process by which radar data are acquired on different passes of the space shuttle and, which then, are compared to obtain elevation information. The data were acquired on April 13, 1994 and on October 3, 1994, during the first and second flights of the SIR-C/X-SAR radar instrument. The color composite radar image was produced by assigning red to the C-band (horizontally transmitted and vertically received) polarization; green to the C-band (vertically transmitted and received) polarization; and blue to the ratio of the two data sets. Blue areas in the image are smooth and yellow areas are rock outcrops with varying amounts of snow and vegetation. The view is looking north along the northeastern edge of the Long Valley caldera, a volcanic collapse feature created 750,000 years ago and the site of continued subsurface activity. Crowley Lake is off the image to the left. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01757

4-D Visualization of Seismic and Geodetic Data of the Big Island of Hawai'i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burstein, J. A.; Smith-Konter, B. R.; Aryal, A.

2017-12-01

For decades Hawai'i has served as a natural laboratory for studying complex interactions between magmatic and seismic processes. Investigating characteristics of these processes, as well as the crustal response to major Hawaiian earthquakes, requires a synthesis of seismic and geodetic data and models. Here, we present a 4-D visualization of the Big Island of Hawai'i that investigates geospatial and temporal relationships of seismicity, seismic velocity structure, and GPS crustal motions to known volcanic and seismically active features. Using the QPS Fledermaus visualization package, we compile 90 m resolution topographic data from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and 50 m resolution bathymetric data from the Hawaiian Mapping Research Group (HMRG) with a high-precision earthquake catalog of more than 130,000 events from 1992-2009 [Matoza et al., 2013] and a 3-D seismic velocity model of Hawai'i [Lin et al., 2014] based on seismic data from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Long-term crustal motion vectors are integrated into the visualization from HVO GPS time-series data. These interactive data sets reveal well-defined seismic structure near the summit areas of Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes, where high Vp and high Vp/Vs anomalies at 5-12 km depth, as well as clusters of low magnitude (M < 3.5) seismicity, are observed. These areas of high Vp and high Vp/Vs are interpreted as mafic dike complexes and the surrounding seismic clusters are associated with shallow magma processes. GPS data are also used to help identify seismic clusters associated with the steady crustal detachment of the south flank of Kilauea's East Rift Zone. We also investigate the fault geometry of the 2006 M6.7 Kiholo Bay earthquake event by analyzing elastic dislocation deformation modeling results [Okada, 1985] and HVO GPS and seismic data of this event. We demonstrate the 3-D fault mechanisms of the Kiholo Bay main shock as a combination of strike-slip and dip

3D Modeling and Characterization of Hydraulic Fracture Efficiency Integrated with 4D/9C Time-Lapse Seismic Interpretations in the Niobrara Formation, Wattenberg Field, Denver Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfataierge, Ahmed

Hydrocarbon recovery rates within the Niobrara Shale are estimated as low as 2-8%. These recovery rates are controlled by the ability to effectively hydraulic fracture stimulate the reservoir using multistage horizontal wells. Subsequent to any mechanical issues that affect production from lateral wells, the variability in production performance and reserve recovery along multistage lateral shale wells is controlled by the reservoir heterogeneity and its consequent effect on hydraulic fracture stimulation efficiency. Using identical stimulation designs on a number of wells that are as close as 600ft apart can yield variable production and recovery rates due to inefficiencies in hydraulic fracture stimulation that result from the variability in elastic rock properties and in-situ stress conditions. As a means for examining the effect of the geological heterogeneity on hydraulic fracturing and production within the Niobrara Formation, a 3D geomechanical model is derived using geostatistical methods and volumetric calculations as an input to hydraulic fracture stimulation. The 3D geomechanical model incorporates the faults, lithological facies changes and lateral variation in reservoir properties and elastic rock properties that best represent the static reservoir conditions pre-hydraulic fracturing. Using a 3D numerical reservoir simulator, a hydraulic fracture predictive model is generated and calibrated to field diagnostic measurements (DFIT) and observations (microseismic and 4D/9C multicomponent time-lapse seismic). By incorporating the geological heterogeneity into the 3D hydraulic fracture simulation, a more representative response is generated that demonstrate the variability in hydraulic fracturing efficiency along the lateral wells that will inevitability influence production performance. Based on the 3D hydraulic fracture simulation results, integrated with microseismic observations and 4D/9C time-lapse seismic analysis (post-hydraulic fracturing & post

Significant structural reinterpretation of the giant October Field, Gulf of Suez, Egypt using SCAT, isogon based sections and 3D seismic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sercombe, W.J.; Smith, G.W.; Morse, J.D.

1996-01-01

The October field, a sub-salt giant in the extensional Gulf of Suez (Egypt) has been structurally reinterpreted for new reserve opportunities. Quantitative SCAT analyses of the wellbore dip data have been integrated with 3D seismic by using dip isogons to construct local structural sections. SCAT dip analysis was critical to the reinterpretation because SCAT revealed important structural information that previously was unresolvable using conventional tadpole plots. In gross aspect, the October Field is a homocline that trends NW-SE, dips to the NE, and is closed on the SW (updip) by the major Clysmic Normal Fault. SCAT accurately calculated the overallmore » trend of the field, but also identified important structural anomalies near the Clysmic fault and in the northwest and southeast plunge ends. In the northwest plunge end, SCAT has identified new, south dipping blocks that are transitional to the structurally-higher North October field. The southeast plunge end has been reinterpreted with correct azimuthal trends and new fault-block prospects. These new SCAT results have successfully improved the 3D seismic interpretation by providing a foundation of accurate in-situ structural control in an area of poor-to-fair seismic quality below the Miocene salt package.« less

Significant structural reinterpretation of the giant October Field, Gulf of Suez, Egypt using SCAT, isogon based sections and 3D seismic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sercombe, W.J.; Smith, G.W.; Morse, J.D.

1996-12-31

The October field, a sub-salt giant in the extensional Gulf of Suez (Egypt) has been structurally reinterpreted for new reserve opportunities. Quantitative SCAT analyses of the wellbore dip data have been integrated with 3D seismic by using dip isogons to construct local structural sections. SCAT dip analysis was critical to the reinterpretation because SCAT revealed important structural information that previously was unresolvable using conventional tadpole plots. In gross aspect, the October Field is a homocline that trends NW-SE, dips to the NE, and is closed on the SW (updip) by the major Clysmic Normal Fault. SCAT accurately calculated the overallmore » trend of the field, but also identified important structural anomalies near the Clysmic fault and in the northwest and southeast plunge ends. In the northwest plunge end, SCAT has identified new, south dipping blocks that are transitional to the structurally-higher North October field. The southeast plunge end has been reinterpreted with correct azimuthal trends and new fault-block prospects. These new SCAT results have successfully improved the 3D seismic interpretation by providing a foundation of accurate in-situ structural control in an area of poor-to-fair seismic quality below the Miocene salt package.« less

Seismic Wave Amplification in Las Vegas: Site Characterization Measurements and Response Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louie, J. N.; Anderson, J. G.; Luke, B.; Snelson, C.; Taylor, W.; Rodgers, A.; McCallen, D.; Tkalcic, H.; Wagoner, J.

2004-12-01

As part of a multidisciplinary effort to understand seismic wave amplification in Las Vegas Valley, we conducted geotechnical and seismic refraction field studies, geologic and lithologic interpretation, and geophysical model building. Frequency-dependent amplifications (site response) and peak ground motions strongly correlate with site conditions as characterized by the models. The models include basin depths and velocities, which also correlate against ground motions. Preliminary geologic models were constructed from detailed geologic and fault mapping, logs of over 500 wells penetrating greater than 200 m depth, gravity-inversion results from the USGS, and USDA soil maps. Valley-wide refraction studies we conducted in 2002 and 2003 were inverted for constraints on basin geometry, and deep basin and basement P velocities with some 3-d control to depths of 5 km. Surface-wave studies during 2002-2004 characterized more than 75 sites within the Valley for shear velocity to depths exceeding 100 m, including all the legacy sites where nuclear-blast ground motions were recorded. The SASW and refraction-microtremor surface-surveying techniques proved to provide complementary, and coordinating Rayleigh dispersion-curve data at a dozen sites. Borehole geotechnical studies at a half-dozen sites confirmed the shear-velocity profiles that we derived from surface-wave studies. We then correlated all the geotechnical data against a detailed stratigraphic model, derived from drilling logs, to create a Valley-wide model for shallow site conditions. This well-log-based model predicts site measurements better than do models based solely on geologic or soil mapping.

3D soil structure characterization of Biological Soil Crusts from Alpine Tarfala Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mele, Giacomo; Gargiulo, Laura; Zucconi, Laura; D'Acqui, Luigi; Ventura, Stefano

2017-04-01

Cyanobacteria filaments, microfungal hyphae, lichen rhizinae and anchoring rhizoids of bryophytes all together contribute to induce formation of structure in the thin soil layer beneath the Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs). Quantitative assessment of the soil structure beneath the BSCs is primarily hindered by the fragile nature of the crusts. Therefore, the role of BSCs in affecting such soil physical property has been rarely addressed using direct measurements. In this work we applied non-destructive X-ray microtomography imaging on five different samples of BSCs collected in the Alpine Tarfala Valley (northern Sweden), which have already been characterized in terms of fungal biodiversity in a previous work. We obtained images of the 3D spatial organization of the soil underneath the BSCs and characterized its structure by applying procedures of image analysis allowing to determine pore size distribution, pore connectivity and aggregate size distribution. Results has then been correlated with the different fungal assemblages of the samples.

Seismic-wave attenuation associated with crustal faults in the New Madrid seismic zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, R.M.; Mooney, W.D.

1990-01-01

The attenuation of upper crustal seismic waves that are refracted with a velocity of about 6 kilometers per second varies greatly among profiles in the area of the New Madrid seismic zone in the central Mississippi Valley. The waves that have the strongest attenuation pass through the seismic trend along the axis of the Reelfoot rift in the area of the Blytheville arch. Defocusing of the waves in a low-velocity zone and/ or seismic scattering and absorption could cause the attenuation; these effects are most likely associated with the highly deformed rocks along the arch. Consequently, strong seismic-wave attenuation may be a useful criterion for identifying seismogenic fault zones.

3-D seismology in the Arabian Gulf

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al-Husseini, M.; Chimblo, R.

Since 1977 when Aramco and GSI (Geophysical Services International) pioneered the first 3-D seismic survey in the Arabian Gulf, under the guidance of Aramco`s Chief Geophysicist John Hoke, 3-D seismology has been effectively used to map many complex subsurface geological phenomena. By the mid-1990s extensive 3-D surveys were acquired in Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Also in the mid-1990`s Bahrain, Kuwait and Dubai were preparing to record surveys over their fields. On the structural side 3-D has refined seismic maps, focused faults and fractures systems, as well as outlined the distribution of facies, porosity and fluid saturation. Inmore » field development, 3D has not only reduced drilling costs significantly, but has also improved the understanding of fluid behavior in the reservoir. In Oman, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has now acquired the first Gulf 4-D seismic survey (time-lapse 3D survey) over the Yibal Field. The 4-D survey will allow PDO to directly monitor water encroachment in the highly-faulted Cretaceous Shu`aiba reservoir. In exploration, 3-D seismology has resolved complex prospects with structural and stratigraphic complications and reduced the risk in the selection of drilling locations. The many case studies from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which are reviewed in this paper, attest to the effectiveness of 3D seismology in exploration and producing, in clastics and carbonates reservoirs, and in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic.« less

Visualization of volumetric seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spickermann, Dela; Böttinger, Michael; Ashfaq Ahmed, Khawar; Gajewski, Dirk

2015-04-01

Mostly driven by demands of high quality subsurface imaging, highly specialized tools and methods have been developed to support the processing, visualization and interpretation of seismic data. 3D seismic data acquisition and 4D time-lapse seismic monitoring are well-established techniques in academia and industry, producing large amounts of data to be processed, visualized and interpreted. In this context, interactive 3D visualization methods proved to be valuable for the analysis of 3D seismic data cubes - especially for sedimentary environments with continuous horizons. In crystalline and hard rock environments, where hydraulic stimulation techniques may be applied to produce geothermal energy, interpretation of the seismic data is a more challenging problem. Instead of continuous reflection horizons, the imaging targets are often steep dipping faults, causing a lot of diffractions. Without further preprocessing these geological structures are often hidden behind the noise in the data. In this PICO presentation we will present a workflow consisting of data processing steps, which enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, followed by a visualization step based on the use the commercially available general purpose 3D visualization system Avizo. Specifically, we have used Avizo Earth, an extension to Avizo, which supports the import of seismic data in SEG-Y format and offers easy access to state-of-the-art 3D visualization methods at interactive frame rates, even for large seismic data cubes. In seismic interpretation using visualization, interactivity is a key requirement for understanding complex 3D structures. In order to enable an easy communication of the insights gained during the interactive visualization process, animations of the visualized data were created which support the spatial understanding of the data.

Assessing a 3D smoothed seismicity model of induced earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zechar, Jeremy; Király, Eszter; Gischig, Valentin; Wiemer, Stefan

2016-04-01

As more energy exploration and extraction efforts cause earthquakes, it becomes increasingly important to control induced seismicity. Risk management schemes must be improved and should ultimately be based on near-real-time forecasting systems. With this goal in mind, we propose a test bench to evaluate models of induced seismicity based on metrics developed by the CSEP community. To illustrate the test bench, we consider a model based on the so-called seismogenic index and a rate decay; to produce three-dimensional forecasts, we smooth past earthquakes in space and time. We explore four variants of this model using the Basel 2006 and Soultz-sous-Forêts 2004 datasets to make short-term forecasts, test their consistency, and rank the model variants. Our results suggest that such a smoothed seismicity model is useful for forecasting induced seismicity within three days, and giving more weight to recent events improves forecast performance. Moreover, the location of the largest induced earthquake is forecast well by this model. Despite the good spatial performance, the model does not estimate the seismicity rate well: it frequently overestimates during stimulation and during the early post-stimulation period, and it systematically underestimates around shut-in. In this presentation, we also describe a robust estimate of information gain, a modification that can also benefit forecast experiments involving tectonic earthquakes.

Detection of cretaceous incised-valley shale for resource play, Miano gas field, SW Pakistan: Spectral decomposition using continuous wavelet transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naseer, Muhammad Tayyab; Asim, Shazia

2017-10-01

Unconventional resource shales can play a critical role in economic growth throughout the world. The hydrocarbon potential of faults/fractured shales is the most significant challenge for unconventional prospect generation. The continuous wavelet transforms (CWT) of spectral decomposition (SD) technology is applied for shale gas prospects on high-resolution 3D seismic data from the Miano area in the Indus platform, SW Pakistan. Schmoker' technique reveals high-quality shales with total organic carbon (TOC) of 9.2% distributed in the western regions. The seismic amplitude, root-mean-square (RMS), and most positive curvature attributes show limited ability to resolve the prospective fractured shale components. The CWT is used to identify the hydrocarbon-bearing faulted/fractured compartments encased within the non-hydrocarbon bearing shale units. The hydrocarbon-bearing shales experience higher amplitudes (4694 dB and 3439 dB) than the non-reservoir shales (3290 dB). Cross plots between sweetness, 22 Hz spectral decomposition, and the seismic amplitudes are found more effective tools than the conventional seismic attribute mapping for discriminating the seal and reservoir elements within the incised-valley petroleum system. Rock physics distinguish the productive sediments from the non-productive sediments, suggesting the potential for future shale play exploration.

Spatial distribution of sediment storage types and quantification of valley fill deposits in an alpine basin, Reintal, Bavarian Alps, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrott, Lothar; Hufschmidt, Gabi; Hankammer, Martin; Hoffmann, Thomas; Dikau, Richard

2003-09-01

Spatial patterns of sediment storage types and associated volumes using a novel approach for quantifying valley fill deposits are presented for a small alpine catchment (17 km 2) in the Bavarian Alps. The different sediment storage types were analysed with respect to geomorphic coupling and sediment flux activity. The most landforms in the valley in terms of surface area were found to be talus slopes (sheets and cones) followed by rockfall deposits and alluvial fans and plains. More than two-thirds of the talus slopes are relict landforms, completely decoupled from the geomorphic system. Notable sediment transport is limited to avalanche tracks, debris flows, and along floodplains. Sediment volumes were calculated using a combination of polynomial functions of cross sections, seismic refraction, and GIS modelling. A total of, 66 seismic refraction profiles were carried out throughout the valley for a more precise determination of sediment thicknesses and to check the bedrock data generated from geomorphometric analysis. We calculated the overall sediment volume of the valley fill deposits to be 0.07 km 3. This corresponds to a mean sediment thickness of 23.3 m. The seismic refraction data showed that large floodplains and sedimentation areas, which have been developed through damming effects from large rockfalls, are in general characterised by shallow sediment thicknesses (<20 m). By contrast, the thickness of several talus slopes is more than twice as much. For some locations (e.g., narrow sections of valley), the polynomial-generated cross sections resulted in overestimations of up to one order of magnitude; whereas in sections with a moderate valley shape, the modelled cross sections are in good accordance with the obtained seismic data. For the quantification of valley fill deposits, a combined application of bedrock data derived from polynomials and geophysical prospecting is highly recommended.

OpenSWPC: an open-source integrated parallel simulation code for modeling seismic wave propagation in 3D heterogeneous viscoelastic media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Takuto; Takemura, Shunsuke; Furumura, Takashi

2017-07-01

We have developed an open-source software package, Open-source Seismic Wave Propagation Code (OpenSWPC), for parallel numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation in 3D and 2D (P-SV and SH) viscoelastic media based on the finite difference method in local-to-regional scales. This code is equipped with a frequency-independent attenuation model based on the generalized Zener body and an efficient perfectly matched layer for absorbing boundary condition. A hybrid-style programming using OpenMP and the Message Passing Interface (MPI) is adopted for efficient parallel computation. OpenSWPC has wide applicability for seismological studies and great portability to allowing excellent performance from PC clusters to supercomputers. Without modifying the code, users can conduct seismic wave propagation simulations using their own velocity structure models and the necessary source representations by specifying them in an input parameter file. The code has various modes for different types of velocity structure model input and different source representations such as single force, moment tensor and plane-wave incidence, which can easily be selected via the input parameters. Widely used binary data formats, the Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) and the Seismic Analysis Code (SAC) are adopted for the input of the heterogeneous structure model and the outputs of the simulation results, so users can easily handle the input/output datasets. All codes are written in Fortran 2003 and are available with detailed documents in a public repository.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Rock formation characterization for carbon dioxide geosequestration: 3D seismic amplitude and coherency anomalies, and seismic petrophysical facies classification, Wellington and Anson-Bates Fields, Kansas, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohl, Derek; Raef, Abdelmoneam

2014-04-01

Higher resolution rock formation characterization is of paramount priority, amid growing interest in injecting carbon dioxide, CO2, into subsurface rock formations of depeleting/depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs or saline aquifers in order to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. In this paper, we present a case study for a Mississippian carbonate characterization integrating post-stack seismic attributes, well log porosities, and seismic petrophysical facies classification. We evaluated changes in petrophysical lithofacies and reveal structural facies-controls in the study area. Three cross-plot clusters in a plot of well log porosity and acoustic impedance corroborated a Neural Network petrophysical facies classification, which was based on training and validation utilizing three petrophysically-different wells and three volume seismic attributes, extracted from a time window including the wavelet of the reservoir-top reflection. Reworked lithofacies along small-throw faults has been revealed based on comparing coherency and seismic petrophysical facies. The main objective of this study is to put an emphasis on reservoir characterization that is both optimized for and subsequently benefiting from pilot tertiary CO2 carbon geosequestration in a depleting reservoir and also in the deeper saline aquifer of the Arbuckle Group, south central Kansas. The 3D seismic coherency attribute, we calculated from a window embracing the Mississippian top reflection event, indicated anomalous features that can be interpreted as a change in lithofacies or faulting effect. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) lithofacies modeling has been used to better understand these subtle features, and also provide petrophysical classes, which will benefit flow-simulation modeling and/or time-lapse seismic monitoring feasibility analysis. This paper emphasizes the need of paying greater attention to small-scale features when embarking upon characterization of a reservoir or saline-aquifer for CO2

New Constraints on Late Pleistocene - Holocene Slip Rates and Seismic Behavior Along the Panamint Valley Fault Zone, Eastern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, W.; Kirby, E.; McDonald, E.; Walker, J.; Gosse, J.

2008-12-01

Space-time patterns of seismic strain release along active fault systems can provide insight into the geodynamics of deforming lithosphere. Along the eastern California shear zone, fault systems south of the Garlock fault appear to have experienced an ongoing pulse of seismic activity over the past ca. 1 kyr (Rockwell et al., 2000). Recently, this cluster of seismicity has been implicated as both cause and consequence of the oft-cited discrepancy between geodetic velocities and geologic slip rates in this region (Dolan et al., 2007; Oskin et al., 2008). Whether other faults within the shear zone exhibit similar behavior remains uncertain. Here we report the preliminary results of new investigations of slip rates and seismic history along the Panamint Valley fault zone (PVFZ). The PVFZ is characterized by dextral, oblique-normal displacement along a moderately to shallowly-dipping range front fault. Previous workers (Zhang et al., 1990) identified a relatively recent surface rupture confined to a ~25 km segment of the southern fault zone and associated with dextral displacements of ~3 m. Our mapping reveals that youthful scarps ranging from 2-4 m in height are distributed along the central portion of the fault zone for at least 50 km. North of Ballarat, a releasing jog in the fault zone forms a 2-3 km long embayment. Displacement of debris-flow levees and channels along NE-striking faults that confirm that displacement is nearly dip-slip, consistent with an overall transport direction toward ~340°, and affording an opportunity to constrain fault displacement directly from the vertical offset of alluvial surfaces of varying age. At the mouth of Happy Canyon, the frontal fault strand displaces a fresh debris-flow by ~3-4 m; soil development atop the debris-flow surface is incipient to negligible. Radiocarbon ages from logs embedded in the flow matrix constrain the timing of the most recent event to younger than ~ 600 cal yr BP. Older alluvial surfaces, such as that

3D Reservoir Modeling of Semutang Gas Field: A lonely Gas field in Chittagong-Tripura Fold Belt, with Integrated Well Log, 2D Seismic Reflectivity and Attributes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salehin, Z.; Woobaidullah, A. S. M.; Snigdha, S. S.

2015-12-01

Bengal Basin with its prolific gas rich province provides needed energy to Bangladesh. Present energy situation demands more Hydrocarbon explorations. Only 'Semutang' is discovered in the high amplitude structures, where rest of are in the gentle to moderate structures of western part of Chittagong-Tripura Fold Belt. But it has some major thrust faults which have strongly breached the reservoir zone. The major objectives of this research are interpretation of gas horizons and faults, then to perform velocity model, structural and property modeling to obtain reservoir properties. It is needed to properly identify the faults and reservoir heterogeneities. 3D modeling is widely used to reveal the subsurface structure in faulted zone where planning and development drilling is major challenge. Thirteen 2D seismic and six well logs have been used to identify six gas bearing horizons and a network of faults and to map the structure at reservoir level. Variance attributes were used to identify faults. Velocity model is performed for domain conversion. Synthetics were prepared from two wells where sonic and density logs are available. Well to seismic tie at reservoir zone shows good match with Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator on seismic section. Vsh, porosity, water saturation and permeability have been calculated and various cross plots among porosity logs have been shown. Structural modeling is used to make zone and layering accordance with minimum sand thickness. Fault model shows the possible fault network, those liable for several dry wells. Facies model have been constrained with Sequential Indicator Simulation method to show the facies distribution along the depth surfaces. Petrophysical models have been prepared with Sequential Gaussian Simulation to estimate petrophysical parameters away from the existing wells to other parts of the field and to observe heterogeneities in reservoir. Average porosity map for each gas zone were constructed. The outcomes of the research

3-D Seismic Tomographic Inversion to Image Segmentation of the Sumatra Subduction Zone near Simeulue Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, G.; Barton, P. J.; Dean, S. M.; Vermeesch, P. M.; Jusuf, M. D.; Henstock, T.; Djajadihardja, Y.; McNeill, L. C.; Permana, H.

2009-12-01

Oceanic subduction along the Sunda trench to the west of Sumatra (Indonesia) shows significant along-strike variations in seismicity. For example, the great M9.3 earthquake in 2004 occurred in the forearc basin north of Simeulue island, rupturing the fault predominantly towards the northwest, while the 2005 Nias earthquake nucleated near the Banyak islands, rupturing towards the southeast (Ammon et al., 2005; Ishii et al. 2005). The gap between these two active areas indicates segmentation of the subduction zone, but the cause of the segmentation remains enigmatic. To investigate the apparent barriers to rupture, two 3-D refraction surveys were conducted in 2008, one, the topic of this study, around Simeulue island and the other to the southeast of Nias island. Seismic data were collected using ocean bottom seismometers and a 12-airgun tuned array with a total capacity of 5420 cu. in., together with high resolution bathymetry data and gravity data. 174,515 traveltimes of first refracted arrivals were picked for the study area, and 128,138 of them were inverted for a model of minimum structure required by the data using the ‘FAST’ method (Zelt et.al, 1998). Resolution tests show that the model is resolvable mostly on a scale of >40 km horizontally. The final velocity model produced has two distinct features: i. the subducted oceanic plates (represented by 6 km/s contours) seem to be discontinuous along strike; ii. the subduction dip angle appears to be steeper in the southern part of the survey area than in the north. The geometric variation in the subducted plate appears to coincide with the segment boundary approximately across the centre of Simeulue island, and may perhaps associated with the segmentation of the seismicity noted from the earthquake record. More accurate velocity models will be developed by jointly inverting traveltimes of first and later arrivals as well as normal incidence data using the tomographic inversion program JIVE-3D (Hobro et

Space Radar Image of Long Valley, California in 3-D

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-01

This three-dimensional perspective view of Long Valley, California was created from data taken by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar on board the space shuttle Endeavour. This image was constructed by overlaying a color composite SIR-C radar image on a digital elevation map. The digital elevation map was produced using radar interferometry, a process by which radar data are acquired on different passes of the space shuttle. The two data passes are compared to obtain elevation information. The interferometry data were acquired on April 13,1994 and on October 3, 1994, during the first and second flights of the SIR-C/X-SAR instrument. The color composite radar image was taken in October and was produced by assigning red to the C-band (horizontally transmitted and vertically received) polarization; green to the C-band (vertically transmitted and received) polarization; and blue to the ratio of the two data sets. Blue areas in the image are smooth and yellow areas are rock outcrops with varying amounts of snow and vegetation. The view is looking north along the northeastern edge of the Long Valley caldera, a volcanic collapse feature created 750,000 years ago and the site of continued subsurface activity. Crowley Lake is the large dark feature in the foreground. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01769

Seismic refraction survey in the Great Miami River Valley and vicinity, Montgomery, Warren, and Butler Counties, Ohio

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watkins, Joel S.; Spieker, Andrew M.

1964-01-01

As part of a continuing program to define the thickness and extent of water-bearing sand and gravel deposits in southwestern Ohio, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Division of Water and The Miami Conservancy District, completed a seismic refraction survey of the Great Miami River valley and adjacent areas between Dayton and Hamilton, Ohio, in the fall of 1963. A similar survey of the adjoining lower Great Miami River and Whitewater River valleys was completed in 1962 (Watkins, 1963; Spieker and Watkins, unpublished data).The area of the survey includes known or inferred portions of an interglacial drainage system which is deeply entrenched into bedrock. Ohio was covered by glaciers at least three times during the Pleistocene epoch. As each glacier melted, rock fragments absorbed by the glacier were transported and deposited in these buried valleys by torrents of meltwater. The total thickness of glacial drift is over 300 feet in some places. Much of the glacial material is highly permeable and saturated with large quantities of water of good quality. The underlying bedrock is virtually impermeable and yields only meager quantities of water. The cities of Dayton, Middletown, Hamilton, and many industries in the Miami River valley rely on wells in the glacial deposits as their principal source of water. The purpose of the present survey is to define the thickness and extent of these important water-bearing formations. Such information will make possible a more accurate evaluation of the area's water resources than has previously have been possible.

Maximum magnitude estimations of induced earthquakes at Paradox Valley, Colorado, from cumulative injection volume and geometry of seismicity clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeck, William L.; Block, Lisa V.; Wood, Christopher K.; King, Vanessa M.

2015-01-01

The Paradox Valley Unit (PVU), a salinity control project in southwest Colorado, disposes of brine in a single deep injection well. Since the initiation of injection at the PVU in 1991, earthquakes have been repeatedly induced. PVU closely monitors all seismicity in the Paradox Valley region with a dense surface seismic network. A key factor for understanding the seismic hazard from PVU injection is the maximum magnitude earthquake that can be induced. The estimate of maximum magnitude of induced earthquakes is difficult to constrain as, unlike naturally occurring earthquakes, the maximum magnitude of induced earthquakes changes over time and is affected by injection parameters. We investigate temporal variations in maximum magnitudes of induced earthquakes at the PVU using two methods. First, we consider the relationship between the total cumulative injected volume and the history of observed largest earthquakes at the PVU. Second, we explore the relationship between maximum magnitude and the geometry of individual seismicity clusters. Under the assumptions that: (i) elevated pore pressures must be distributed over an entire fault surface to initiate rupture and (ii) the location of induced events delineates volumes of sufficiently high pore-pressure to induce rupture, we calculate the largest allowable vertical penny-shaped faults, and investigate the potential earthquake magnitudes represented by their rupture. Results from both the injection volume and geometrical methods suggest that the PVU has the potential to induce events up to roughly MW 5 in the region directly surrounding the well; however, the largest observed earthquake to date has been about a magnitude unit smaller than this predicted maximum. In the seismicity cluster surrounding the injection well, the maximum potential earthquake size estimated by these methods and the observed maximum magnitudes have remained steady since the mid-2000s. These observations suggest that either these methods

3-D architecture modeling using high-resolution seismic data and sparse well control: Example from the Mars {open_quotes}Pink{close_quotes} reservoir, Mississippi Canyon Area, Gulf of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chapin, M.A.; Tiller, G.M.; Mahaffie, M.J.

1996-12-31

Economic considerations of the deep-water turbidite play, in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere, require large reservoir volumes to be drained by relatively few, very expensive wells. Deep-water development projects to date have been planned on the basis of high-quality 3-D seismic data and sparse well control. The link between 3-D seismic, well control, and the 3-D geological and reservoir architecture model are demonstrated here for Pliocene turbidite sands of the {open_quotes}Pink{close_quotes} reservoir, Prospect Mars, Mississippi Canyon Areas 763 and 807, Gulf of Mexico. This information was used to better understand potential reservoir compartments for development well planning.

LOTT RANCH 3D PROJECT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larry Lawrence; Bruce Miller

The Lott Ranch 3D seismic prospect located in Garza County, Texas is a project initiated in September of 1991 by the J.M. Huber Corp., a petroleum exploration and production company. By today's standards the 126 square mile project does not seem monumental, however at the time it was conceived it was the most intensive land 3D project ever attempted. Acquisition began in September of 1991 utilizing GEO-SEISMIC, INC., a seismic data contractor. The field parameters were selected by J.M. Huber, and were of a radical design. The recording instruments used were GeoCor IV amplifiers designed by Geosystems Inc., which recordmore » the data in signed bit format. It would not have been practical, if not impossible, to have processed the entire raw volume with the tools available at that time. The end result was a dataset that was thought to have little utility due to difficulties in processing the field data. In 1997, Yates Energy Corp. located in Roswell, New Mexico, formed a partnership to further develop the project. Through discussions and meetings with Pinnacle Seismic, it was determined that the original Lott Ranch 3D volume could be vastly improved upon reprocessing. Pinnacle Seismic had shown the viability of improving field-summed signed bit data on smaller 2D and 3D projects. Yates contracted Pinnacle Seismic Ltd. to perform the reprocessing. This project was initiated with high resolution being a priority. Much of the potential resolution was lost through the initial summing of the field data. Modern computers that are now being utilized have tremendous speed and storage capacities that were cost prohibitive when this data was initially processed. Software updates and capabilities offer a variety of quality control and statics resolution, which are pertinent to the Lott Ranch project. The reprocessing effort was very successful. The resulting processed data-set was then interpreted using modern PC-based interpretation and mapping software. Production data, log

An overview of results from the CO2SINK 3D baseline seismic survey at Ketzin, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhlin, C.; Giese, R.; Cosma, C.; Kazemeini, H.; Juhojuntti, N.; Lüth, S.; Norden, B.; Förster, A.; Yordkayhun, S.

2009-04-01

A 3D seismic survey was acquired at the CO2SINK project site over the Ketzin anticline in the fall of 2005. Main objectives of the survey were (1) to verify earlier geological interpretations of the structure based on vintage 2D seismic and borehole data, (2) to provide, if possible, an understanding of the structural geometry for flow pathways within the reservoir, (3) a baseline for later evaluation of the time evolution of rock properties as CO2 is injected into the reservoir, and (4) detailed sub-surface images near the injection borehole for planning of the drilling operations. Overlapping templates with 5 receiver lines containing 48 active channels in each template were used for the acquisition. In each template, 200 nominal source points were activated using an accelerated weight drop, giving a nominal fold of 25. Due to logistics, the number of actual source points in each template varied. In spite of the relatively low fold and the simple source used, data quality is generally good with the uppermost 1000 m being well imaged. Data processing results clearly show a fault system across the top of the Ketzin anticline that is termed the Central Graben Fault Zone (CGFZ). The fault zone consists of west-southwest-east-northeast- to east-west-trending normal faults bounding a 600-800 m wide graben. Within the Jurassic section, discrete faults are well developed, and the main graben-bounding faults have throws of up to 30 m. At shallower levels, the fault system appears to disappear in the Tertiary Rupelian clay. The main bounding faults of the CGFZ can be traced downwards to the top of the Weser Formation and possibly to the Stuttgart level, the target formation for CO2 injection. No faults were imaged near the injection site on the southern limb of the anticline. Remnant gas, cushion and residual gas from a previous natural gas storage facility at the site, is present near the top of the anticline in the depth interval of about 250-400 m and has a clear

A recipe for consistent 3D management of velocity data and time-depth conversion using Vel-IO 3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maesano, Francesco E.; D'Ambrogi, Chiara

2017-04-01

3D geological model production and related basin analyses need large and consistent seismic dataset and hopefully well logs to support correlation and calibration; the workflow and tools used to manage and integrate different type of data control the soundness of the final 3D model. Even though seismic interpretation is a basic early step in such workflow, the most critical step to obtain a comprehensive 3D model useful for further analyses is represented by the construction of an effective 3D velocity model and a well constrained time-depth conversion. We present a complex workflow that includes comprehensive management of large seismic dataset and velocity data, the construction of a 3D instantaneous multilayer-cake velocity model, the time-depth conversion of highly heterogeneous geological framework, including both depositional and structural complexities. The core of the workflow is the construction of the 3D velocity model using Vel-IO 3D tool (Maesano and D'Ambrogi, 2017; https://github.com/framae80/Vel-IO3D) that is composed by the following three scripts, written in Python 2.7.11 under ArcGIS ArcPy environment: i) the 3D instantaneous velocity model builder creates a preliminary 3D instantaneous velocity model using key horizons in time domain and velocity data obtained from the analysis of well and pseudo-well logs. The script applies spatial interpolation to the velocity parameters and calculates the value of depth of each point on each horizon bounding the layer-cake velocity model. ii) the velocity model optimizer improves the consistency of the velocity model by adding new velocity data indirectly derived from measured depths, thus reducing the geometrical uncertainties in the areas located far from the original velocity data. iii) the time-depth converter runs the time-depth conversion of any object located inside the 3D velocity model The Vel-IO 3D tool allows one to create 3D geological models consistent with the primary geological constraints (e

Time-Lapse Monitoring with 4D Seismic Coda Waves in Active, Passive and Ambient Noise Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumley, D. E.; Kamei, R.; Saygin, E.; Shragge, J. C.

2017-12-01

The Earth's subsurface is continuously changing, due to temporal variations in fluid flow, stress, temperature, geomechanics and geochemistry, for example. These physical changes occur at broad tectonic and earthquake scales, and also at very detailed near-surface and reservoir scales. Changes in the physical states of the earth cause time-varying changes in the physical properties of rocks and fluids, which can be monitored with natural or manmade seismic waves. Time-lapse (4D) seismic monitoring is important for applications related to natural and induced seismicity, hydrocarbon and groundwater reservoir depletion, CO2 sequestration etc. An exciting new research area involves moving beyond traditional methods in order to use the full complex time-lapse scattered wavefield (4D coda waves) for both manmade active-source 3D/4D seismic data, and also to use continuous recordings of natural-source passive seismic data, especially (micro) earthquakes and ocean ambient noise. This research involves full wave-equation approaches including waveform inversion (FWI), interferometry, Large N sensor arrays, "big data" information theory, and high performance supercomputing (HPC). I will present high-level concepts and recent data results that are quite spectacular and highly encouraging.

The complex emplacement dynamics and tsunami genesis of the 1888 Ritter Island sector collapse from 3D seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urlaub, M.; Karstens, J.; Berndt, C.; Watt, S. F.; Micallef, A.; Klaucke, I.; Klaeschen, D.; Brune, S.; Kühn, M.

2017-12-01

On March 13 1888, a large sector of the subaerial and submarine edifice of Ritter Island (Papua New Guinea) collapsed and slid into the Bismarck Sea, triggering a tsunami with run-up heights of more than 25 m on the neighboring islands. The tsunami traveled for more than 600 km and caused destruction in several settlements. German colonists described in detail the timing of the arriving waves. During research cruise SO252 onboard RV Sonne, we collected a comprehensive set of multibeam and sediment echosounder data, seafloor video footage, rock samples, 2D seismic profiles, and a 60 km2 high-resolution Pcable 3D seismic cube. This dataset, combined with the historic eyewitness accounts, allows detailed reconstruction of the large-scale volcanic sector collapse and the associated tsunami genesis. The 3D seismic cube reveals a change of emplacement dynamics during the collapse of the volcanic edifice. The initial failure occurred along a deep slide plane extending from the volcanic cone up to 300 m deep into the seafloor sediments adjacent to the volcanic edifice. Movement of large, intact sediment blocks and shortening characterize this deep-rooted mass-movement. In contrast to the well-preserved mobilization structures in the deep part of the volcanic edifice related to the initial phase of mass movement, there are hardly any deposits of the upper part of the volcanic cone comprising of well-stratified volcaniclastic layers. The 2 km3 cone was mobilized in the final stage of the sector collapse and its highly energetic slide mass eroded deeply into the previously emplaced slide deposits. The fast moving mass was channelized between two volcanic ridges, transported into the basin west of Sakar Island, and then deposited more than 30 km away from its source. We interpret the separation into two phases as the result of decoupling of the sliding mass of the cone from the deeper volcanic edifice. This process may be explained by gravitational acceleration of the sliding

Contribution of seismic processing to put up the scaffolding for the 3-dimensional study of deep sedimentary basins: the fundaments of trans-national 3D modelling in the project GeoMol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capar, Laure

2013-04-01

Within the framework of the transnational project GeoMol geophysical and geological information on the entire Molasse Basin and on the Po Basin are gathered to build consistent cross-border 3D geological models based on borehole evidence and seismic data. Benefiting from important progress in seismic processing, these new models will provide some answers to various questions regarding the usage of subsurface resources, as there are geothermal energy, CO2 and gas storage, oil and gas production, and support decisions-making to national and local administrations as well as to industries. More than 28 000 km of 2D seismic lines are compiled reprocessed and harmonized. This work faces various problems like the vertical drop of more than 700 meters between West and East of the Molasse Basin and to al lesser extent in the Po Plain, the heterogeneities of the substratum, the large disparities between the period and parameters of seismic acquisition, and depending of their availability, the use of two types of seismic data, raw and processed seismic data. The main challenge is to harmonize all lines at the same reference level, amplitude and step of signal processing from France to Austria, spanning more than 1000 km, to avoid misfits at crossing points between seismic lines and artifacts at the country borders, facilitating the interpretation of the various geological layers in the Molasse Basin and Po Basin. A generalized stratigraphic column for the two basins is set up, representing all geological layers relevant to subsurface usage. This stratigraphy constitutes the harmonized framework for seismic reprocessing. In general, processed seismic data is available on paper at stack stage and the mandatory information to take these seismic lines to the final stage of processing, the migration step, are datum plane and replacement velocity. However several datum planes and replacement velocities were used during previous processing projects. Our processing sequence is to

Seismic anisotropy of the D'' layer induced by (001) deformation of post-perovskite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Xiang; Lin, Jung-Fu; Kaercher, Pamela

Crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of post-perovskite (Mg,Fe)SiO 3 (pPv) has been believed to be one potential source of the seismic anisotropic layer at the bottom of the lower mantle (D'' layer). However, the natural CPO of pPv remains ambiguous in the D'' layer. Here we have carried out the deformation experiments of pPv-(Mg 0.75,Fe 0.25)SiO 3 using synchrotron radial X-ray diffraction in a membrane-driven laser-heated diamond anvil cell from 135 GPa and 2,500 K to 154 GPa and 3,000 K. Our results show that the intrinsic texture of pPv-(Mg 0.75,Fe 0.25)SiO 3 should be (001) at realistic P–T conditions ofmore » the D'' layer, which can produce a shear wave splitting anisotropy of ~3.7% with V SH>V SV. Considering the combined effect of both pPv and ferropericlase, we suggest that 50% or less of deformation is sufficient to explain the origin of the shear wave anisotropy observed seismically in the D'' layer beneath the circum-Pacific rim.« less

Seismic interpretation of the deep structure of the Wabash Valley Fault System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bear, G.W.; Rupp, J.A.; Rudman, A.J.

1997-01-01

Interpretations of newly available seismic reflection profiles near the center of the Illinois Basin indicate that the Wabash Valley Fault System is rooted in a series of basement-penetrating faults. The fault system is composed predominantly of north-northeast-trending high-angle normal faults. The largest faults in the system bound the 22-km wide 40-km long Grayville Graben. Structure contour maps drawn on the base of the Mount Simon Sandstone (Cambrian System) and a deeper pre-Mount Simon horizon show dip-slip displacements totaling at least 600 meters across the New Harmony fault. In contrast to previous interpretations, the N-S extent of significant fault offsets is restricted to a region north of 38?? latitude and south of 38.35?? latitude. This suggests that the graben is not a NE extension of the structural complex composed of the Rough Creek Fault System and the Reelfoot Rift as previously interpreted. Structural complexity on the graben floor also decreases to the south. Structural trends north of 38?? latitude are offset laterally across several large faults, indicating strike-slip motions of 2 to 4 km. Some of the major faults are interpreted to penetrate to depths of 7 km or more. Correlation of these faults with steep potential field gradients suggests that the fault positions are controlled by major lithologic contacts within the basement and that the faults may extend into the depth range where earthquakes are generated, revealing a potential link between specific faults and recently observed low-level seismicity in the area.

Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chiu, S.C.C.; Johnston, A.C.; Chiu, J.M.

1994-08-01

The seismic activity in the southern Appalachian area was monitored by the Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network (SARSN) since late 1979 by the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at Memphis State University. This network provides good spatial coverage for earthquake locations especially in east Tennessee. The level of activity concentrates more heavily in the Valley and Ridge province of eastern Tennessee, as opposed to the Blue Ridge or Inner Piedmont. The large majority of these events lie between New York - Alabama lineament and the Clingman/Ocoee lineament, magnetic anomalies produced by deep-seated basement structures. Therefore SARSN, even withmore » its wide station spacing, has been able to define the essential first-order seismological characteristics of the Southern Appalachian seismic zone. The focal depths of the southeastern U.S. earthquakes concentrate between 8 and 16 km, occurring principally beneath the Appalachian overthrust. In cross-sectional views, the average seismicity is shallower to the east beneath the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces and deeper to the west beneath the Valley and Ridge and the North American craton. Results of recent focal mechanism studies by using the CERI digital earthquake catalog between October, 1986 and December, 1991, indicate that the basement of the Valley and Ridge province is under a horizontal, NE-SW compressive stress. Right-lateral strike-slip faulting on nearly north-south fault planes is preferred because it agrees with the trend of the regional magnetic anomaly pattern.« less

Synthetic River Valleys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, R.; Pasternack, G. B.

2011-12-01

The description of fluvial form has evolved from anecdotal descriptions to artistic renderings to 2D plots of cross section or longitudinal profiles and more recently 3D digital models. Synthetic river valleys, artificial 3D topographic models of river topography, have a plethora of potential applications in fluvial geomorphology, and the earth sciences in general, as well as in computer science and ecology. Synthetic river channels have existed implicitly since approximately the 1970s and can be simulated from a variety of approaches spanning the artistic and numerical. An objective method of synthesizing 3D stream topography based on reach scale attributes would be valuable for sizing 3D flumes in the physical and numerical realms, as initial input topography for morphodynamic models, stream restoration design, historical reconstruction, and mechanistic testing of interactions of channel geometric elements. Quite simply - simulation of synthetic channel geometry of prescribed conditions can allow systematic evaluation of the dominant relationships between river flow and geometry. A new model, the control curve method, is presented that uses hierarchically scaled parametric curves in over-lapping 2D planes to create synthetic river valleys. The approach is able to simulate 3D stream geometry from paired 2D descriptions and can allow experimental insight into form-process relationships in addition to visualizing past measurements of channel form that are limited to two dimension descriptions. Results are presented that illustrate the models ability to simulate fluvial topography representative of real world rivers as well as how channel geometric elements can be adjusted. The testing of synthetic river valleys would open up a wealth of knowledge as to why some 3D attributes of river channels are more prevalent than others as well as bridging the gap between the 2D descriptions that have dominated fluvial geomorphology the past century and modern, more complete, 3D

A temporal stable isotopic (d18O, dD, d-excess) comparison in glacier meltwater streams, Taylor Valley, Antarctica

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In this paper, we describe the importance of hyporheic dynamics within Andersen Creek and Von Guerard Stream, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, from the 2010-11 melt season using natural tracers. Water collection started at flow onset and continued, with weekly hyporheic zone sampling. The water d18O and d...

Infrasound and seismic array analysis of snow avalanches: results from the 2015-2017 experiment in Dischma valley above Davos, Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchetti, Emanuele; van Herwijnen, Alec; Ripepe, Maurizio

2017-04-01

While flowing downhill a snow avalanche radiates seismic and infrasonic waves being coupled both with the ground and the atmosphere. Infrasound waves are mostly generated by the powder cloud of the avalanche, while seismic waves are mostly generated by the dense flowing snow mass on the ground, resulting in different energy partitioning between seismic and infrasound for different kinds of avalanches. This results into a general uncertainty on the efficiency of seismic and infrasound monitoring, in terms of the size and source-to-receiver distance of detectable events. Nevertheless, both seismic and infrasound have been used as monitoring systems for the remote detection of snow avalanches, being the reliable detection of snow avalanches of crucial importance to better understand triggering mechanisms, identify possible precursors, or improve avalanche forecasting. We present infrasonic and seismic array data collected during the winters of 2015- 2016 and 2016-2017 in the Dischma valley above Davos, Switzerland, where a five element infrasound array and a 7 element seismic array had been deployed at short distance from each other and with several avalanche paths nearby. Avalanche observation in the area is performed through automatic cameras providing additional information on the location, type (dry or wet), size and occurrence time of the avalanches released. The use of arrays instead of single sensors allows increasing the signal-to-noise ratio and identifying events in terms of back-azimuth and apparent velocity of the wave-field, thus providing indication on the source position of the recorded signal. For selected snow avalanches captured with automatic cameras, we therefore perform seismic and infrasound array processing to constrain the avalanche path and dynamics and investigate the partitioning of seismic and infrasound energy for the different portions of the avalanche path. Moreover we compare results of seismic and infrasound array processing for the

Combined interpretation of 3D seismic reflection attributes for geothermal exploration in the Polish Basin using self-organizing maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Klaus; Pussak, Marcin; Stiller, Manfred; Bujakowski, Wieslaw

2014-05-01

Self-organizing maps (SOM) are neural network techniques which can be used for the joint interpretation of multi-disciplinary data sets. In this investigation we apply SOM within a geothermal exploration project using 3D seismic reflection data. The study area is located in the central part of the Polish basin. Several sedimentary target horizons were identified at this location based on fluid flow rate measurements in the geothermal research well Kompina-2. The general objective is a seismic facies analysis and characterization of the major geothermal target reservoir. A 3D seismic reflection experiment with a sparse acquisition geometry was carried out around well Kompina-2. Conventional signal processing (amplitude corrections, filtering, spectral whitening, deconvolution, static corrections, muting) was followed by normal-moveout (NMO) stacking, and, alternatively, by common-reflection-surface (CRS) stacking. Different signal attributes were then derived from the stacked images including root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude, instantaneous frequency and coherency. Furthermore, spectral decomposition attributes were calculated based on the continuous wavelet transform. The resulting attribute maps along major target horizons appear noisy after the NMO stack and clearly structured after the CRS stack. Consequently, the following SOM-based multi-parameter signal attribute analysis was applied only to the CRS images. We applied our SOM work flow, which includes data preparation, unsupervised learning, segmentation of the trained SOM using image processing techniques, and final application of the learned knowledge. For the Lower Jurassic target horizon Ja1 we derived four different clusters with distinct seismic attribute signatures. As the most striking feature, a corridor parallel to a fault system was identified, which is characterized by decreased RMS amplitudes and low frequencies. In our interpretation we assume that this combination of signal properties can be

Controlled Source 4D Seismic Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Y.; Morency, C.; Tromp, J.

2009-12-01

Earth's material properties may change after significant tectonic events, e.g., volcanic eruptions, earthquake ruptures, landslides, and hydrocarbon migration. While many studies focus on how to interpret observations in terms of changes in wavespeeds and attenuation, the oil industry is more interested in how we can identify and locate such temporal changes using seismic waves generated by controlled sources. 4D seismic analysis is indeed an important tool to monitor fluid movement in hydrocarbon reservoirs during production, improving fields management. Classic 4D seismic imaging involves comparing images obtained from two subsequent seismic surveys. Differences between the two images tell us where temporal changes occurred. However, when the temporal changes are small, it may be quite hard to reliably identify and characterize the differences between the two images. We propose to back-project residual seismograms between two subsequent surveys using adjoint methods, which results in images highlighting temporal changes. We use the SEG/EAGE salt dome model to illustrate our approach. In two subsequent surveys, the wavespeeds and density within a target region are changed, mimicking possible fluid migration. Due to changes in material properties induced by fluid migration, seismograms recorded in the two surveys differ. By back propagating these residuals, the adjoint images identify the location of the affected region. An important issue involves the nature of model. For instance, are we characterizing only changes in wavespeed, or do we also consider density and attenuation? How many model parameters characterize the model, e.g., is our model isotropic or anisotropic? Is acoustic wave propagation accurate enough or do we need to consider elastic or poroelastic effects? We will investigate how imaging strategies based upon acoustic, elastic and poroelastic simulations affect our imaging capabilities.

Combining 3D seismic tomography and ground-penetrating radar to reveal the structure of a megalithic burial tomb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendes, Manuela; Caldeira, Bento; Borges, José

2017-04-01

This work describes a case study concerning a prehistoric buried tomb (around 3000 years B.C.) located near Évora (Portugal). This monument is a tomb completely buried with only five visible irregular small stones distributed in a circle of 3 meter in diameter. A multi-approach combining 3D seismic tomography and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) have been applied to identify hidden elements and arrangement of the stones, required prior to any excavation work. The methodology for the 3D seismic data acquisition involves a total of 24 shots recorded by four lines, with twelve fixed receivers each one. For the GPR survey was used a 400 MHz antenna which moves along parallel lines with 50 cm separation, over a 30x30 m2 area that contains the buried tomb; the GPR unit was configured to a horizontal rate of 50 scans per meter (1024 samples/scan) and a time window of 60 ns. This multi-approach procedure allowed defining: (i) the housing of the tomb in the basement structure; (ii) the presence of a hidden corridor; (iii) the description of the internal structure of the walls of the tomb; (iv) the state of preservation of the monument. Acknowledgements: This work is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under COMPETE 2020 (Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization) through the ICT project (UID / GEO / 04683/2013) under the reference POCI-01-0145 -FEDER-007690.

A 3D Numerical Survey of Seismic Waves Inside and Around an Underground Cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esterhazy, S.; Schneider, F. M.; Perugia, I.; Bokelmann, G.

2016-12-01

Motivated by the need to detect an underground cavity within the procedure of an On-Site-Inspection (OSI) of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which might be caused by a nuclear explo- sion/weapon testing, we present our findings of a numerical study on the elastic wave propagation inside and around such an underground cavity.The aim of the CTBTO is to ban all nuclear explosions of any size anywhere, by anyone. Therefore, it is essential to build a powerful strategy to efficiently investigate and detect critical signatures such as gas filled cavities, rubble zones and fracture networks below the surface. One method to investigate the geophysical properties of an under- ground cavity allowed by the Comprehensive Nuclear-test Ban Treaty is referred to as "resonance seismometry" - a resonance method that uses passive or active seismic techniques, relying on seismic cavity vibrations. This method is in fact not yet entirely determined by the Treaty and there are also only few experimental examples that have been suitably documented to build a proper scientific groundwork. This motivates to investigate this problem on a purely numerical level and to simulate these events based on recent advances in the mathematical understanding of the underlying physical phenomena.Our numerical study includes the full elastic wave field in three dimensions. We consider the effects from an in- coming plane wave as well as point source located in the surrounding of the cavity at the surface. While the former can be considered as passive source like a tele-seismic earthquake, the latter represents a man-made explosion or a viborseis as used for/in active seismic techniques. For our simulations in 3D we use the discontinuous Galerkin Spectral Element Code SPEED developed by MOX (The Laboratory for Modeling and Scientific Computing, Department of Mathematics) and DICA (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering) at the Politecnico di Milano. The

Analysis of seismic waves crossing the Santa Clara Valley using the three-component MUSIQUE array algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobiger, Manuel; Cornou, Cécile; Bard, Pierre-Yves; Le Bihan, Nicolas; Imperatori, Walter

2016-10-01

We introduce the MUSIQUE algorithm and apply it to seismic wavefield recordings in California. The algorithm is designed to analyse seismic signals recorded by arrays of three-component seismic sensors. It is based on the MUSIC and the quaternion-MUSIC algorithms. In a first step, the MUSIC algorithm is applied in order to estimate the backazimuth and velocity of incident seismic waves and to discriminate between Love and possible Rayleigh waves. In a second step, the polarization parameters of possible Rayleigh waves are analysed using quaternion-MUSIC, distinguishing retrograde and prograde Rayleigh waves and determining their ellipticity. In this study, we apply the MUSIQUE algorithm to seismic wavefield recordings of the San Jose Dense Seismic Array. This array has been installed in 1999 in the Evergreen Basin, a sedimentary basin in the Eastern Santa Clara Valley. The analysis includes 22 regional earthquakes with epicentres between 40 and 600 km distant from the array and covering different backazimuths with respect to the array. The azimuthal distribution and the energy partition of the different surface wave types are analysed. Love waves dominate the wavefield for the vast majority of the events. For close events in the north, the wavefield is dominated by the first harmonic mode of Love waves, for farther events, the fundamental mode dominates. The energy distribution is different for earthquakes occurring northwest and southeast of the array. In both cases, the waves crossing the array are mostly arriving from the respective hemicycle. However, scattered Love waves arriving from the south can be seen for all earthquakes. Combining the information of all events, it is possible to retrieve the Love wave dispersion curves of the fundamental and the first harmonic mode. The particle motion of the fundamental mode of Rayleigh waves is retrograde and for the first harmonic mode, it is prograde. For both modes, we can also retrieve dispersion and ellipticity

Seismic and structural characterization of the fluid bypass system using 3D and partial stack seismic from passive margin: inside the plumbing system.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iacopini, David; Maestrelli, Daniele; Jihad, Ali; Bond, Clare; Bonini, Marco

2017-04-01

In recent years enormous attention has been paid to the understanding of the process and mechanism controlling the gas seepage and more generally the fluid expulsion affecting the earth system from onshore to offshore environment. This is because of their demonstrated impact to our environment, climate change and during subsea drilling operation. Several example from active and paleo system has been so far characterized and proposed using subsurface exploration, geophysical and geochemical monitoring technology approaches with the aims to explore what trigger and drive the overpressure necessary maintain the fluid/gas/material expulsion and what are the structure that act as a gateway for gaseous fluid and unconsolidated rock. In this contribution we explore a series of fluid escape structure (ranging from seepage pipes to large blowout pipes structure of km length) using 3D and partial stack seismic data from two distinctive passive margin from the north sea (Loyal field, West Shetland) and the Equatorial Brazil (Ceara' Basin). We will focuses on the characterization of the plumbing system internal architecture and, for selected example, exploring the AVO response (using partial stack) of the internal fluid/unconsolidated rock. The detailed seismic mapping and seismic attributes analysis of the conduit system helped us to recover some detail from the signal response of the chimney internal structures. We observed: (1) small to medium seeps and pipes following structural or sedimentary discontinuities (2) large pipes (probably incipient mud volcanoes) and blowup structures propagating upward irrespective of pre-existing fault by hydraulic fracturing and assisted by the buoyancy of a fluidised and mobilised mud-hydrocarbon mixture. The reflector termination observed inside the main conduits, the distribution of stacked bright reflectors and the AVO analysis suggests an evolution of mechanisms (involving mixture of gas, fluid and probably mud) during pipe birth and

Magnetotelluric investigation across the Agri Valley: preliminary results.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balasco, Marianna; Romano, Gerardo; Siniscalchi, Agata; Alfredo Stabile, Tony

2017-04-01

The Agri Valley is an axial zone of the Southern Apennines thrust belt chain with a strong seismogenic potential where two important energy technologies responsible for inducing/triggering seismicity are active: (1) the disposal at the Costa Molina 2 injection well of the wastewater produced during the exploitation of the biggest onshore oil field in west Europe (27 wells producing more than 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day), managed by the Eni S.p.A., and (2) the water loading and unloading operations in the Pertusillo artificial reservoir. It is recognized the possibility that the fluctuation of the water level inside the reservoir, due to the hydrological cycle for example, produces pressure perturbations at the bottom of reservoir, causing induced seismicity. Furthermore it is even more known the role of fluids in the rupture processes which could cause an increase of pore pressure specially at high rate of injection fluids and/or for the presence of weakening of preexisting faults. With the aim to better characterize and understand the physical processes involved in the observed induced/triggered seismicity, in 2016 a broadband seismic network, covering an area of about 20 km x 20 km nearby the Pertusillo Dam and Costa Molina2 well has been installed in the framework of SIR-MIUR project INSIEME (INduced Seismicity in Italy: Estimation, Monitoring, and sEismic risk mitigation) and a MagnetoTelluric (MT) survey has been performed. The MT investigation consists of 25 soundings aligned along 30 km profile oriented at about N40 direction, orthogonal with the strike of the major and noticeable geological structures and crossing both of the source that may induce/trigger seismicity. In this work, we present the preliminary 2D resistivity model which provides useful deep geophysical information for understanding the geological and structural setting of the Agri Valley. Moreover, the comparison of the resistivity model with the earthquake location as inferred from

Calving of Talyor Glacier, Dry Valleys, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmichael, J. D.; Pettit, E. C.; Creager, K. C.; Hallet, B.

2007-12-01

Calving of tide-water glaciers has received considerable attention, with seismic arrays in Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica devoted to their observation. In these environments, ice cliffs are directly coupled to oceanic temperatures. The land-based polar glaciers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica represent a simpler environment unaffected directly by water contact where other factors can be isolated. In particular, summer calving events of Taylor Glacier are observed to consist of precursory activity including crack growth, cliff overhang, and active seismicity at least 1 hour before collapse. We propose that collapse occurs only after a stress threshold has been crossed, evident from 'pre-calving' of ice from the cliff base 1-3 days prior to the major event. We provide photographic, seismic, and temperature data to illustrate the thermal and stress landscape for land-based calving of polar glaciers.

The Salzach Valley overdeeping: A most precise bedrock model of a major alpine glacial basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomper, Johannes; Salcher, Bernhard; Eichkitz, Christoph

2016-04-01

Overdeepenings are impressive phenomena related to the erosion in the ablation zone of major glaciers. They are common features in glaciated and deglaciated regions worldwide and their sedimentary fillings may act as important archives for regional environmental change and glaciation history. Sedimentary fillings are also important targets of geotechnical exploration and construction including groundwater resource management, shallow geothermal exploitation, tunneling and the foundation of buildings. This is especially true in densely populated areas such as the European Alps and their foreland areas, regions which have been multiply glaciated during the last million years. However, due depths often exceeding some hundreds of meters, the overall knowledge on their geometry, formation and sedimentary content is still poor and commonly tied to some local spots. Here we present a bedrock model of the overall lower Salzach Valley, one of the largest glacial overdeepings in the European Alps. We utilized seismic sections from hydrocarbon exploration surveys and deep drillings together with topographic and modelling data to construct a 3D bedrock model. Through the existence of seismic inline and crossline valley sections, multiple drillings reaching the bedrock surface, log and abundant outcrop data we were, as far to our knowledge, able to create the most accurate digital bedrock topography of an alpine major overdeepening. We furthermore analyzed the sedimentary content of the valley as recorded by driller's lithologic logs. Our results suggest that the valley is far from being a regular U-shaped trough with constant depth, rather highlighting highs and lows of different magnitude and underground valley widths of variable extent. Data also indicates that the largest overdeepening of bedrock, reaching around 450 m below the alluvial fill, is not situated after a major glacial confluence following a prominent bedrock gorge but shifted several km down the valley. The

Toward 2D Seismic Wavefield Monitoring: Seismic Gradiometry for Long-Period Seismogram and Short-Period Seismogram Envelope applied to the Hi-net Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, T.; Nishida, K.; Takagi, R.; Obara, K.

2015-12-01

The high-sensitive seismograph network Japan (Hi-net) operated by National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) has about 800 stations with average separation of 20 km. We can observe long-period seismic wave propagation as a 2D wavefield with station separations shorter than wavelength. In contrast, short-period waves are quite incoherent at stations, however, their envelope shapes resemble at neighbor stations. Therefore, we may be able to extract seismic wave energy propagation by seismogram envelope analysis. We attempted to characterize seismic waveform at long-period and its envelope at short-period as 2D wavefield by applying seismic gradiometry. We applied the seismic gradiometry to a synthetic long-period (20-50s) dataset prepared by numerical simulation in realistic 3D medium at the Hi-net station layout. Wave amplitude and its spatial derivatives are estimated by using data at nearby stations. The slowness vector, the radiation pattern and the geometrical spreading are extracted from estimated velocity, displacement and its spatial derivatives. For short-periods at shorter than 1 s, seismogram envelope shows temporal and spatial broadening through scattering by medium heterogeneity. It is expected that envelope shape may be coherent among nearby stations. Based on this idea, we applied the same method to the time-integration of seismogram envelope to estimate its spatial derivatives. Together with seismogram envelope, we succeeded in estimating the slowness vector from the seismogram envelope as well as long-period waveforms by synthetic test, without using phase information. Our preliminarily results show that the seismic gradiometry suits the Hi-net to extract wave propagation characteristics both at long and short periods. This method is appealing that it can estimate waves at homogeneous grid to monitor seismic wave as a wavefield. It is promising to obtain phase velocity variation from direct waves, and to grasp wave

Seismic-refraction survey to the top of salt in the north end of the Salt Valley Anticline, Grand County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ackermann, Hans D.

1979-01-01

A seismic-refraction survey, consisting of three lines about 2700, 2760, and 5460 meters long, was made at the north end of the Salt Valley anticline of the Paradox Basin in eastern Utah. The target was the crest of a diapiric salt mass and the overlying, deformed caprock. The interpretations reveal an undulating salt surface with as much as 80 meters of relief. The minimum depth of about 165 meters is near the location of three holes drilled by the U.S. Department of Energy for the purpose of evaluating the Salt Valley anticline as a potential site for radioactive waste storages Caprock properties were difficult to estimate because the contorted nature of these beds invalidated a geologic interpretation in terms of velocity layers. However, laterally varying velocities of the critically refracted rays throughout the area suggest differences in the gross physical properties of the caprock.

Investigation of surface wave amplitudes in 3-D velocity and 3-D Q models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Y.; Zhou, Y.

2010-12-01

It has been long recognized that seismic amplitudes depend on both wave speed structures and anelasticity (Q) structures. However, the effects of lateral heterogeneities in wave speed and Q structures on seismic amplitudes has not been well understood. We investigate the effects of 3-D wave speed and 3-D anelasticity (Q) structures on surface-wave amplitudes based upon wave propagation simulations of twelve globally-distributed earthquakes and 801 stations in Earth models with and without lateral heterogeneities in wave speed and anelasticity using a Spectral Element Method (SEM). Our tomographic-like 3-D Q models are converted from a velocity model S20RTS using a set of reasonable mineralogical parameters, assuming lateral perturbations in both velocity and Q are due to temperature perturbations. Surface-wave amplitude variations of SEM seismograms are measured in the period range of 50--200 s using boxcar taper, cosine taper and Slepian multi-tapers. We calculate ray-theoretical predictions of surface-wave amplitude perturbations due to elastic focusing, attenuation, and anelastic focusing which respectively depend upon the second spatial derivative (''roughness'') of perturbations in phase velocity, 1/Q, and the roughness of perturbations in 1/Q. Both numerical experiments and theoretical calculations show that (1) for short-period (~ 50 s) surface waves, the effects of amplitude attenuation due to 3-D Q structures are comparable with elastic focusing effects due to 3-D wave speed structures; and (2) for long-period (> 100 s) surface waves, the effects of attenuation become much weaker than elastic focusing; and (3) elastic focusing effects are correlated with anelastic focusing at all periods due to the correlation between velocity and Q models; and (4) amplitude perturbations are depend on measurement techniques and therefore cannot be directly compared with ray-theoretical predictions because ray theory does not account for the effects of measurement

Crustal Seismicity and 3-D Velocity Structure in the Principal Cordillera of Central Chile (33- 34.5 S, 69.5-71 W): Implications on Andean Geodynamic and Seismic Hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardo, M.; Monfret, T.; Vera, E.; Yañez, G.; Eisenberg, A.

2007-12-01

Based on data from a dense local temporary seismological network, crustal seismicity is characterized, and a 3- D body wave velocity structure is obtained by tomographic inversion down to the subducted slab. In the framework of Fondecyt 1050758, GeoAzur-IRD and ACT-18 projects, 35 broadband and short period instruments, were deployed in the studied zone for 135 days recording in continuous mode. At this zone the Andean active volcanism reappears after a gap of volcanic activity since late Miocene occurring north of 33 S due to the Central Chile flat slab subduction zone. Crustal seismicity in the depth range 0-30 km is well correlated with known geological faults that become now important in the assessment of the regional seismic hazard. This seismicity also clusters around the giant porphyry cooper deposits in the region (Rio Blanco, El Teniente), and are neither related to mine-blasts nor induced by mining activity. Moreover, the local 3-D velocity structure shows that the zone surrounding each deposit is characterized by high Vp/Vs greater than 1.8, which may indicate fluid phases located in the weakest and more fractured zone of the crust. The body wave velocity pattern shown at depth by the local tomography indicates channels of high Vp/Vs connecting the subducted slab with the surface at places where active volcanism is present, suggesting upward migration of hydrous or melted rocks. This pattern agrees with the one observed with a previous regional tomography that includes this zone, while this Vp/Vs pattern tends to be horizontal at the flat slab zone. At depths of 20-25 km, a layer of high Vp/Vs is observed beneath the Andes Cordillera that could be associated to changes in the rheological properties between the upper and lower crust, or to accumulation of magma. The average stress tensor, derived from focal mechanisms, indicate that the Andean zone is under compression in the plate convergence direction.

3-D Characterization of Seismic Properties at the Smart Weapons Test Range, YPG

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-10-01

confidence limits around each interpolated value. Ground truth was accomplished through cross-hole seismic measurements and borehole logs. Surface wave... seismic method, as well as estimating the optimal orientation and spacing of the seismic array . A variety of sources and receivers was evaluated...location within the array is partially related to at least two seismic lines. Either through good fortune or foresight by the designers of the SWTR site

New insights into the earliest Quaternary environments in the Central North Sea from 3D seismic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamb, Rachel; Huuse, Mads; Stewart, Margaret; Brocklehurst, Simon H.

2014-05-01

In the past the transition between an unconformable surface in the south to a conformable horizon towards the north has made identification and mapping the base-Quaternary in the central North Sea difficult (Sejrup et al 1991; Gatliff et al 1994). However recent integration of biostratigraphy, pollen analysis, paleomagnetism and amino acid analysis in the Dutch and Danish sectors (Rasmussen et al 2005; Kuhlmann et al 2006) has allowed greater confidence in the correlation to the region 3D seismic datasets and thus has allowed the base-Quaternary to be mapped across the entire basin. The base-Quaternary has been mapped using the PGS MegaSurvey dataset from wells in the Danish Sector along the initially unconformable horizon and down the delta front into the more conformable basin giving a high degree of confidence in the horizon pick. The revised base-Quaternary surface reaches a depth of 1248 ms TWT with an elongate basin shape which is significantly deeper than the traditionally mapped surface. Using RMS amplitudes and other seismic attributes the revised base-Quaternary has been investigated along the horizon and in time slice to interpret the environments of the earliest Quaternary prior to the onset of glaciation. Combined with analysis of aligned elongate furrows over 10 km long, 100 m wide and 100 m deep suggest a deep marine environment in an almost enclosed basin with persistent strong NW-SE bottom currents in the deepest parts. Pockmarks were formed by the escape of shallow gas on the sides of a small delta in the eastern part of the basin. The progradation of large deltas from both the north and south into the basin make up the majority of the deposition of sediment into the basin. Key Words: base-Quaternary; seismic interpretation; paleoenvironments References: Gatliff, R.W, Richards, P.C, Smith, K, Graham, C.C, McCormac, M, Smith, N.J.P, Long, D, Cameron, T.D.J, Evans, D, Stevenson, A.G, Bulat, J, Ritchie, J.D, (1994) 'United Kingdom offshore regional

3D Gravity Inversion using Tikhonov Regularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toushmalani, Reza; Saibi, Hakim

2015-08-01

Subsalt exploration for oil and gas is attractive in regions where 3D seismic depth-migration to recover the geometry of a salt base is difficult. Additional information to reduce the ambiguity in seismic images would be beneficial. Gravity data often serve these purposes in the petroleum industry. In this paper, the authors present an algorithm for a gravity inversion based on Tikhonov regularization and an automatically regularized solution process. They examined the 3D Euler deconvolution to extract the best anomaly source depth as a priori information to invert the gravity data and provided a synthetic example. Finally, they applied the gravity inversion to recently obtained gravity data from the Bandar Charak (Hormozgan, Iran) to identify its subsurface density structure. Their model showed the 3D shape of salt dome in this region.

Pattern Informatics Approach to Earthquake Forecasting in 3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toya, Y.; Tiampo, K. F.; Rundle, J. B.; Chen, C.; Li, H.; Klein, W.

2009-05-01

Natural seismicity is correlated across multiple spatial and temporal scales, but correlations in seismicity prior to a large earthquake are locally subtle (e.g. seismic quiescence) and often prominent in broad scale (e.g., seismic activation), resulting in local and regional seismicity patterns, e.g. a Mogi's donut. Recognizing that patterns in seismicity rate are reflecting the regional dynamics of the directly unobservable crustal stresses, the Pattern Informatics (PI) approach was introduced by Tiampo et al. in 2002 [Europhys. Lett., 60 (3), 481-487,] Rundle et al., 2002 [PNAS 99, suppl. 1, 2514-2521.] In this study, we expand the PI approach to forecasting earthquakes into the third, or vertical dimension, and illustrate its further improvement in the forecasting performance through case studies of both natural and synthetic data. The PI characterizes rapidly evolving spatio-temporal seismicity patterns as angular drifts of a unit state vector in a high dimensional correlation space, and systematically identifies anomalous shifts in seismic activity with respect to the regional background. 3D PI analysis is particularly advantageous over 2D analysis in resolving vertically overlapped seismicity anomalies in a highly complex tectonic environment. Case studies will help to illustrate some important properties of the PI forecasting tool. [Submitted to: Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience, Wiley, Special Issue: ACES2008.

The 3D Reference Earth Model (REM-3D): Update and Outlook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lekic, V.; Moulik, P.; Romanowicz, B. A.; Dziewonski, A. M.

2016-12-01

Elastic properties of the Earth's interior (e.g. density, rigidity, compressibility, anisotropy) vary spatially due to changes in temperature, pressure, composition, and flow. In the 20th century, seismologists have constructed reference models of how these quantities vary with depth, notably the PREM model of Dziewonski and Anderson (1981). These 1D reference earth models have proven indispensable in earthquake location, imaging of interior structure, understanding material properties under extreme conditions, and as a reference in other fields, such as particle physics and astronomy. Over the past three decades, more sophisticated efforts by seismologists have yielded several generations of models of how properties vary not only with depth, but also laterally. Yet, though these three-dimensional (3D) models exhibit compelling similarities at large scales, differences in the methodology, representation of structure, and dataset upon which they are based, have prevented the creation of 3D community reference models. We propose to overcome these challenges by compiling, reconciling, and distributing a long period (>15 s) reference seismic dataset, from which we will construct a 3D seismic reference model (REM-3D) for the Earth's mantle, which will come in two flavors: a long wavelength smoothly parameterized model and a set of regional profiles. Here, we summarize progress made in the construction of the reference long period dataset, and present preliminary versions of the REM-3D in order to illustrate the two flavors of REM-3D and their relative advantages and disadvantages. As a community reference model and with fully quantified uncertainties and tradeoffs, REM-3D will facilitate Earth imaging studies, earthquake characterization, inferences on temperature and composition in the deep interior, and be of improved utility to emerging scientific endeavors, such as neutrino geoscience. In this presentation, we outline the outlook for setting up advisory community

Interpretation of Late Cretaceous Volcanic Mounds and Surrounding Gulfian Series Formations Using 3D Seismic Data in Zavala County, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Laura Claire

The Late Cretaceous Gulfian series is a prominent and important series across the State of Texas that has been extensively studied since the nineteenth century. It is composed of series of southeast-dipping shelf carbonates and clastics deposited on the northwest margin of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. In south Texas, the Gulfian series was deposited in the Rio Grande Embayment and Maverick Basin and is comprised of the Eagle Ford Group, Austin Group, Anacacho Limestone, San Miguel Formation, Olmos Formation, and Escondido Formation that crop out and continue basinward in the subsurface. Late Cretaceous volcanism formed volcanic mounds composed of altered palagonite tuff that are clustered into two fields, including the Uvalde Field centered in Zavala County. Using the Pedernales 3D seismic survey, located in east-central Zavala County, several volcanic mounds were identified and mapped without the use of well log data by identifying structures and characteristics associated with the volcanic mounds. Isolating these mounds through mapping enabled the mapping of the tops surrounding Gulfian formations, Lower Eagle Ford, Upper Eagle Ford, Austin, Anacacho, and San Miguel, for which time-structure, amplitude, similarity/coherency attribute, and isochron maps were generated. By using 3D seismic data, the volcanic mounds and their relation to surrounding rocks can be better interpreted.

Investigation of the presence of transverse anisotropy in the 3D baseline seismic data at Ketzin, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruachanta, Mingkhwan; Ivandic, Monika; Juhlin, Christopher

2015-04-01

A 3D seismic baseline survey was acquired within the EU funded CO2SINK project at Ketzin, Germany in 2005. CO2 was injected at about 630-650 meters depth into the Stuttgart Formation. The formation is heterogeneous with lithological facies of channel sandstones interbedded with floodplain mudstones. It underlies an approximately 210 meters thick sequence of claystone, silty claystone and anhydrite of the Weser and Arnstadt Formations. Claystone is considered to be an intrinsic-type anisotropic medium due to the platy shape of clay minerals. A thick interval of claystone caprock may show seismic velocity variation with propagation angle or seismic anisotropy. In this study, the degree of anisotropy was assumed to be weak. The processing steps followed conventional seismic data processing, except for the velocity estimation used for the moveout correction. The velocity approximation used nonhyperbolic or 4th order moveout for transverse anisotropic (TI) media which was proposed by Alkhalifah (1997). The 4th order moveout velocity approximation used the zero-dip normal moveout velocity (V nmo) and eta (?) anisotropic parameter for the velocity correction as defined by the following equations. tx = √(t02+X2/Vnmo2-2? X4/vnmo2 / t2o[1+2?)X2/Vnmo2]) where ? = 12[ 2 ] VVh2- - 1 nmoand tx is the traveltime, to is traveltime at zero offset, X is the offset and V h is horizontal velocity. Preliminary results indicate the presence of anisotropy in the study area with an eta parameter ranging from -0.185 to +0.180. Moveout velocity corrected stacked sections show an improvement in the continuity of reflections in the shallow part of the survey (above 500 ms), whereas there is no significant difference in the deeper region.

3D seismic imaging of voluminous earliest Eocene buried lava fields and coastal escarpments off mid-Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Planke, Sverre; Millett, John M.; Maharjan, Dwarika; Jerram, Dougal A.; Mansour Abdelmalak, Mohamed

2017-04-01

Continental breakup between Greenland and NW Europe in the Paleogene was associated with massive basaltic volcanism, forming kilometer-thick sequences of flood basalts along the conjugate rifted margins. This event was temporarily associated with a warm world, the early Eocene greenhouse, and the short-lived Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). A 2500 km2 large industry-standard 3D seismic cube has recently been acquired on the Vøring Marginal High offshore mid-Norway to image sub-basalt sedimentary rocks. This cube also provides a unique opportunity for imaging top- and intra-basalt structures. Detailed seismic geomorphological interpretation of the Top basalt horizon reveal new insight into the late-stage development of the lava flow fields and the kilometer high coastal Vøring Escarpment. Subaerial lava flows with compressional ridges and inflated lava lobes cover the marginal high, with comparable structure and size to modern subaerial lava fields. Pitted surfaces, likely formed by lava emplaced in a wet environment, are present in the western part of the study area near the continent-ocean boundary. The prominent Vøring Escarpment formed when eastward-flowing lava reached the coastline. The escarpment morphology is influenced by pre-existing structural highs, and locally these highs are by-passed by the lava flows which are clearly deflected around them. Volcanogenic debris flows are well-imaged on the escarpment horizon along with large-scale slump blocks. Similar features exist in active volcanic environments, e.g. on the south coast of Hawaii. Numerous post-volcanic extensional faults and incised channels cut both into the marginal high and the escarpment, and show that the area was geologically active after the volcanism ceased. In conclusion, igneous seismic geomorphology and seismic volcanostratigraphy are two very powerful methods to understand the volcanic deposits and development of rifted margins, and the association of major volcanic events

Ophiolitic basement to the Great Valley forearc basin, California, from seismic and gravity data: Implications for crustal growth at the North American continental margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Godfrey, N.J.; Beaudoin, B.C.; Klemperer, S.L.; Levander, A.; Luetgert, J.; Meltzer, A.; Mooney, W.; Tréhu, A.

1997-01-01

The nature of the Great Valley basement, whether oceanic or continental, has long been a source of controversy. A velocity model (derived from a 200-km-long east-west reflection-refraction profile collected south of the Mendocino triple junction, northern California, in 1993), further constrained by density and magnetic models, reveals an ophiolite underlying the Great Valley (Great Valley ophiolite), which in turn is underlain by a westward extension of lower-density continental crust (Sierran affinity material). We used an integrated modeling philosophy, first modeling the seismic-refraction data to obtain a final velocity model, and then modeling the long-wavelength features of the gravity data to obtain a final density model that is constrained in the upper crust by our velocity model. The crustal section of Great Valley ophiolite is 7-8 km thick, and the Great Valley ophiolite relict oceanic Moho is at 11-16 km depth. The Great Valley ophiolite does not extend west beneath the Coast Ranges, but only as far as the western margin of the Great Valley, where the 5-7-km-thick Great Valley ophiolite mantle section dips west into the present-day mantle. There are 16-18 km of lower-density Sierran affinity material beneath the Great Valley ophiolite mantle section, such that a second, deeper, "present-day" continental Moho is at about 34 km depth. At mid-crustal depths, the boundary between the eastern extent of the Great Valley ophiolite and the western extent of Sierran affinity material is a near-vertical velocity and density discontinuity about 80 km east of the western margin of the Great Valley. Our model has important implications for crustal growth at the North American continental margin. We suggest that a thick ophiolite sequence was obducted onto continental material, probably during the Jurassic Nevadan orogeny, so that the Great Valley basement is oceanic crust above oceanic mantle vertically stacked above continental crust and continental mantle.

Pattern of ground deformation in Kathmandu valley during 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, central Nepal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghimire, S.; Dwivedi, S. K.; Acharya, K. K.

2016-12-01

The 25th April 2015 Gorkha Earthquake (Mw=7.8) epicentered at Barpak along with thousands of aftershocks released seismic moment nearly equivalent to an 8.0 Magnitude earthquake rupturing a 150km long fault segment. Although Kathmandu valley was supposed to be severely devastated by such major earthquake, post earthquake scenario is completely different. The observed destruction is far less than anticipated as well as the spatial pattern is different than expected. This work focuses on the behavior of Kathmandu valley sediments during the strong shaking by the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. For this purpose spatial pattern of destruction is analyzed at heavily destructed sites. To understand characteristics of subsurface soil 2D-MASW survey was carried out using a 24-channel seismograph system. An accellerogram recorded by Nepal Seismological Center was analyzed to characterize the strong ground motion. The Kathmandu valley comprises fluvio-lacustrine deposit with gravel, sand, silt and clay along with few exposures of basement rocks within the sediments. The observations show systematic repetition of destruction at an average interval of 2.5km mostly in sand, silt and clay dominated formations. Results of 2D-MASW show the sites of destruction are characterized by static deformation of soil (liquefaction and southerly dipping cracks). Spectral analysis of the accelerogram indicates maximum power associated with frequency of 1.0Hz. The result of this study explains the observed spatial pattern of destruction in Kathmandu valley. This is correlated with the seismic energy associated with the frequency of 1Hz, which generates an average wavelength of 2.5km with an average S-wave velocity of 2.5km/s. The cumulative effect of dominant frequency and associated wavelength resulted in static deformation of surface soil layers at an average interval of 2.5km. This phenomenon clearly describes the reason for different scenario than that was anticipated in Kathmandu valley.

Mapping the North Sea base-Quaternary: using 3D seismic to fill a gap in the geological record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamb, Rachel; Huuse, Mads; Stewart, Margaret; Brocklehurst, Simon H.

2014-05-01

The identification and mapping of the base-Quaternary boundary in the central parts of the North Sea is problematic due to the change from an unconformable transition between Pliocene and Pleistocene deltaic deposits in the southern North Sea to a conformable one further north (Sejrup et al 1991; Gatliff et al 1994). The best estimates of the transition use seismic reflection data to identify a 'crenulated reflector' (Buckley 2012), or rely on correlating sparse biostratigraphy (Cameron et al 1987). Recent integration of biostratigraphy, pollen analysis, paleomagnetism and amino acid analysis in the Dutch and Danish sectors (Rasmussen et al 2005; Kuhlmann et al 2006) allows greater confidence in the correlation to a regional 3D seismic dataset and show that the base-Quaternary can be mapped across the entire basin. The base-Quaternary has been mapped using the PGS MegaSurvey dataset from wells in the Danish Sector along the initially unconformable horizon and down the delta front into the more conformable basin giving a high degree of confidence in the horizon pick. The mapped horizon is presented here alongside the difference between this new interpretation and the previously interpreted base-Quaternary (Buckley 2012). The revised base-Quaternary surface reaches a depth of 1248 ms TWT or approximately 1120 m (assuming average velocity of 1800 m/s) showing an elongate basin shape that follows the underlying structure of the Central Graben. The difference between the revised base-Quaternary and the traditional base-Quaternary reaches a maximum of over 600 ms TWT or approximately 540 m in the south-west with over 300 ms TWT or approximately 270 m at the Josephine well (56° 36.11'N, 2° 27.09'E) in the centre of the basin. Mapping this new base-Quaternary allows for the interpretation of the paleo-envionrment during the earliest Quaternary. Seismic attribute analysis indicates a deep water basin with sediment deposition from multiple deltas and redistribution by deep

Interpretation of a 3D Seismic-Reflection Volume in the Basin and Range, Hawthorne, Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louie, J. N.; Kell, A. M.; Pullammanappallil, S.; Oldow, J. S.; Sabin, A.; Lazaro, M.

2009-12-01

A collaborative effort by the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Optim Inc. of Reno has interpreted a 3d seismic data set recorded by the U.S. Navy Geothermal Programs Office (GPO) at the Hawthorne Army Depot, Nevada. The 3d survey incorporated about 20 NNW-striking lines covering an area of approximately 3 by 10 km. The survey covered an alluvial area below the eastern flank of the Wassuk Range. In the reflection volume the most prominent events are interpreted to be the base of Quaternary alluvium, the Quaternary Wassuk Range-front normal fault zone, and sequences of intercalated Tertiary volcanic flows and sediments. Such a data set is rare in the Basin and Range. Our interpretation reveals structural and stratigraphic details that form a basis for rapid development of the geothermal-energy resources underlying the Depot. We interpret a map of the time-elevation of the Wassuk Range fault and its associated splays and basin-ward step faults. The range-front fault is the deepest, and its isochron map provides essentially a map of "economic basement" under the prospect area. There are three faults that are the most readily picked through vertical sections. The fault reflections show an uncertainty in the time-depth that we can interpret for them of 50 to 200 ms, due to the over-migrated appearance of the processing contractor’s prestack time-migrated data set. Proper assessment of velocities for mitigating the migration artifacts through prestack depth migration is not possible from this data set alone, as the offsets are not long enough for sufficiently deep velocity tomography. The three faults we interpreted appear as gradients in potential-field maps. In addition, the southern boundary of a major Tertiary graben may be seen within the volume as the northward termination of the strong reflections from older Tertiary volcanics. Using a transparent volume view across the survey gives a view of the volcanics in full

3D architecture modeling of reservoir compartments in a Shingled Turbidite Reservoir using high-resolution seismic data and sparse well control, example from Mars {open_quotes}Pink{close_quotes} reservoir, Mississippi Canyon Area, Gulf of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chapin, M.A.; Mahaffie, M.J.; Tiller, G.M.

1996-12-31

Economics of most deep-water development projects require large reservoir volumes to be drained with relatively few wells. The presence of reservoir compartments must therefore be detected and planned for in a pre-development stage. We have used 3-D seismic data to constrain large-scale, deterministic reservoir bodies in a 3-D architecture model of Pliocene-turbidite sands of the {open_quotes}E{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}Pink{close_quotes} reservoir, Prospect Mars, Mississippi Canyon Areas 763 and 807, Gulf of Mexico. Reservoir compartmentalization is influenced by stratigraphic shingling, which in turn is caused by low accommodation space predentin the upper portion of a ponded seismic sequence within a salt withdrawal mini-basin.more » The accumulation is limited by updip onlap onto a condensed section marl, and by lateral truncation by a large scale submarine erosion surface. Compartments were suggested by RFT pressure variations and by geochemical analysis of RFT fluid samples. A geological interpretation derived from high-resolution 3-D seismic and three wells was linked to 3-D architecture models through seismic inversion, resulting in a reservoir all available data. Distinguishing subtle stratigraphical shingles from faults was accomplished by detailed, loop-level mapping, and was important to characterize the different types of reservoir compartments. Seismic inversion was used to detune the seismic amplitude, adjust sandbody thickness, and update the rock properties. Recent development wells confirm the architectural style identified. This modeling project illustrates how high-quality seismic data and architecture models can be combined in a pre-development phase of a prospect, in order to optimize well placement.« less

3D architecture modeling of reservoir compartments in a Shingled Turbidite Reservoir using high-resolution seismic data and sparse well control, example from Mars [open quotes]Pink[close quotes] reservoir, Mississippi Canyon Area, Gulf of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chapin, M.A.; Mahaffie, M.J.; Tiller, G.M.

1996-01-01

Economics of most deep-water development projects require large reservoir volumes to be drained with relatively few wells. The presence of reservoir compartments must therefore be detected and planned for in a pre-development stage. We have used 3-D seismic data to constrain large-scale, deterministic reservoir bodies in a 3-D architecture model of Pliocene-turbidite sands of the [open quotes]E[close quotes] or [open quotes]Pink[close quotes] reservoir, Prospect Mars, Mississippi Canyon Areas 763 and 807, Gulf of Mexico. Reservoir compartmentalization is influenced by stratigraphic shingling, which in turn is caused by low accommodation space predentin the upper portion of a ponded seismic sequence withinmore » a salt withdrawal mini-basin. The accumulation is limited by updip onlap onto a condensed section marl, and by lateral truncation by a large scale submarine erosion surface. Compartments were suggested by RFT pressure variations and by geochemical analysis of RFT fluid samples. A geological interpretation derived from high-resolution 3-D seismic and three wells was linked to 3-D architecture models through seismic inversion, resulting in a reservoir all available data. Distinguishing subtle stratigraphical shingles from faults was accomplished by detailed, loop-level mapping, and was important to characterize the different types of reservoir compartments. Seismic inversion was used to detune the seismic amplitude, adjust sandbody thickness, and update the rock properties. Recent development wells confirm the architectural style identified. This modeling project illustrates how high-quality seismic data and architecture models can be combined in a pre-development phase of a prospect, in order to optimize well placement.« less

2D Semiconductors for Valley-Polarized LEDs and Photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Ting

The recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as transitional-metal-dichalcogenide monolayers, have aroused great interest due to the underlying quantum physics and the appealing optoelectronic applications like atomically thin light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodetectors. On the one hand, valley-polarized electroluminescence and photocurrent from such monolayers have not caused enough attention but highly demanded as building blocks for the new generation valleytronic applications. On the other hand, most reports on these devices are based on the mechanically exfoliated small samples. Considering real applications, a strategy which could offer mass-product and high compatibility to the current planar processes is greatly demanded. Large-area samples prepared by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) are perfect candidates towards such a goal. Here, we report electrically tunable valley-polarized electroluminescence and the selective spin-valley-coupled photocurrent in optoelectronic devices based on monolayer WS2 and MoS2 grown by CVD, exhibiting large electroluminescence and photocurrent dichroisms of 81% and 60%, respectively. The controllable valley polarization and emission components of the electroluminescence have been realized by varying electrical injection of carriers. For the observed helicity-dependent photocurrent, the circular photogalvanic effect at resonant excitations has been found to take the dominant responsibility.

Comparative velocity structure of active Hawaiian volcanoes from 3-D onshore-offshore seismic tomography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Park, J.; Morgan, J.K.; Zelt, C.A.; Okubo, P.G.; Peters, L.; Benesh, N.

2007-01-01

We present a 3-D P-wave velocity model of the combined subaerial and submarine portions of the southeastern part of the Island of Hawaii, based on first-arrival seismic tomography of marine airgun shots recorded by the onland seismic network. Our model shows that high-velocity materials (6.5-7.0??km/s) lie beneath Kilauea's summit, Koae fault zone, and the upper Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) and upper and middle East Rift Zone (ERZ), indicative of magma cumulates within the volcanic edifice. A separate high-velocity body of 6.5-6.9??km/s within Kilauea's lower ERZ and upper Puna Ridge suggests a distinct body of magma cumulates, possibly connected to the summit magma cumulates at depth. The two cumulate bodies within Kilauea's ERZ may have undergone separate ductile flow seaward, influencing the submarine morphology of Kilauea's south flank. Low velocities (5.0-6.3??km/s) seaward of Kilauea's Hilina fault zone, and along Mauna Loa's seaward facing Kao'iki fault zone, are attributed to thick piles of volcaniclastic sediments deposited on the submarine flanks. Loihi seamount shows high-velocity anomalies beneath the summit and along the rift zones, similar to the interpreted magma cumulates below Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes, and a low-velocity anomaly beneath the oceanic crust, probably indicative of melt within the upper mantle. Around Kilauea's submarine flank, a high-velocity anomaly beneath the outer bench suggests the presence of an ancient seamount that may obstruct outward spreading of the flank. Mauna Loa's southeast flank is also marked by a large, anomalously high-velocity feature (7.0-7.4??km/s), interpreted to define an inactive, buried volcanic rift zone, which might provide a new explanation for the westward migration of Mauna Loa's current SWRZ and the growth of Kilauea's SWRZ. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rock-avalanche dynamics revealed by large-scale field mapping and seismic signals at a highly mobile avalanche in the West Salt Creek valley, western Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coe, Jeffrey A.; Baum, Rex L.; Allstadt, Kate E.; Kochevar, Bernard; Schmitt, Robert G.; Morgan, Matthew L.; White, Jonathan L.; Stratton, Benjamin T.; Hayashi, Timothy A.; Kean, Jason W.

2016-01-01

On 25 May 2014, a rain-on-snow–induced rock avalanche occurred in the West Salt Creek valley on the northern flank of Grand Mesa in western Colorado (United States). The avalanche mobilized from a preexisting rock slide in the Green River Formation and traveled 4.6 km down the confined valley, killing three people. The avalanche was rare for the contiguous United States because of its large size (54.5 Mm3) and high mobility (height/length = 0.14). To understand the avalanche failure sequence, mechanisms, and mobility, we conducted a forensic analysis using large-scale (1:1000) structural mapping and seismic data. We used high-resolution, unmanned aircraft system imagery as a base for field mapping, and analyzed seismic data from 22 broadband stations (distances < 656 km from the rock-slide source area) and one short-period network. We inverted broadband data to derive a time series of forces that the avalanche exerted on the earth and tracked these forces using curves in the avalanche path. Our results revealed that the rock avalanche was a cascade of landslide events, rather than a single massive failure. The sequence began with an early morning landslide/debris flow that started ∼10 h before the main avalanche. The main avalanche lasted ∼3.5 min and traveled at average velocities ranging from 15 to 36 m/s. For at least two hours after the avalanche ceased movement, a central, hummock-rich core continued to move slowly. Since 25 May 2014, numerous shallow landslides, rock slides, and rock falls have created new structures and modified avalanche topography. Mobility of the main avalanche and central core was likely enhanced by valley floor material that liquefied from undrained loading by the overriding avalanche. Although the base was likely at least partially liquefied, our mapping indicates that the overriding avalanche internally deformed predominantly by sliding along discrete shear surfaces in material that was nearly dry and had substantial frictional

Elastic-wave propagation and site amplification in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, from simulated normal faulting earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benz, H.M.; Smith, R.B.

1988-01-01

The two-dimensional seismic response of the Salt Lake valley to near- and far-field earthquakes has been investigated from simulations of vertically incident plane waves and from normal-faulting earthquakes generated on the basin-bounding Wasatch fault. The plane-wave simulations were compared with observed site amplifications in the Salt Lake valley, based on seismic recordings from nuclear explosions in southern Nevada, that show 10 times greater amplification with the basin than measured values on hard-rock sites. Synthetic seismograms suggest that in the frequency band 0.3 to 1.5 Hz at least one-half the site amplitication can be attributed to the impedance contrast between the basin sediments and higher velocity basement rocks. -from Authors

Seismic Monitoring of Rock Falls in Yosemite National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmer, V. L.; Stock, G. M.; Sitar, N.

2008-12-01

Between 1857 and 2007, more than 600 landslide events have been documented in Yosemite National Park, with the vast majority of events occurring as rock falls in Yosemite Valley. The conditions leading to and triggering rock fall are understood in approximately 50 percent of cases, but in the other 50 percent, there were no apparent triggers. Occasionally, large rock falls have been preceded by smaller events that, in retrospect, may have been precursors. Close range seismic monitoring presents an opportunity to study the conditions leading up to rock fall, as well as the mechanics of the actual rock fall as recorded seismically. During the winter of 2007-08, we conducted a rock fall seismic monitoring feasibility study in Yosemite Valley. A station consisting of an 8 Hz geophone and an accelerometer was placed on a ledge 1000 feet above the valley floor, in a historically active rock fall area known as the Three Brothers. At least two rock falls in this area were recorded by the instrumentation and witnessed by visitors, representing the first time rock falls have been recorded with seismic instrumentation in Yosemite Valley. Significant energy was recorded in a wide frequency range, from a few Hz to approximately 150 Hz, limited by the geophone response and attenuation of the signal due to distance to the source (400 m). Furthermore, there exists a weak signal approximately 5-10 seconds before the obvious rock fall signature. We hypothesize that the weak signal represents rock fall initiation manifesting as the first blocks sliding down the cliff face, while the stronger impulses represent these blocks impacting ledges and the bottom talus field. This study demonstrated that rock fall monitoring is feasible with seismic instrumentation, and serves as the catalyst for future studies using a network of sensors for more advanced analysis.

NSR&D Program Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Call for Proposals Mitigation of Seismic Risk at Nuclear Facilities using Seismic Isolation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coleman, Justin

2015-02-01

Seismic isolation (SI) has the potential to drastically reduce seismic response of structures, systems, or components (SSCs) and therefore the risk associated with large seismic events (large seismic event could be defined as the design basis earthquake (DBE) and/or the beyond design basis earthquake (BDBE) depending on the site location). This would correspond to a potential increase in nuclear safety by minimizing the structural response and thus minimizing the risk of material release during large seismic events that have uncertainty associated with their magnitude and frequency. The national consensus standard America Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standard 4, Seismic Analysismore » of Safety Related Nuclear Structures recently incorporated language and commentary for seismically isolating a large light water reactor or similar large nuclear structure. Some potential benefits of SI are: 1) substantially decoupling the SSC from the earthquake hazard thus decreasing risk of material release during large earthquakes, 2) cost savings for the facility and/or equipment, and 3) applicability to both nuclear (current and next generation) and high hazard non-nuclear facilities. Issue: To date no one has evaluated how the benefit of seismic risk reduction reduces cost to construct a nuclear facility. Objective: Use seismic probabilistic risk assessment (SPRA) to evaluate the reduction in seismic risk and estimate potential cost savings of seismic isolation of a generic nuclear facility. This project would leverage ongoing Idaho National Laboratory (INL) activities that are developing advanced (SPRA) methods using Nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction (NLSSI) analysis. Technical Approach: The proposed study is intended to obtain an estimate on the reduction in seismic risk and construction cost that might be achieved by seismically isolating a nuclear facility. The nuclear facility is a representative pressurized water reactor building nuclear power plant (NPP

A 3D joint interpretation of magnetotelluric and seismic tomographic models: The case of the volcanic island of Tenerife

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Yeguas, Araceli; Ledo, Juanjo; Piña-Varas, Perla; Prudencio, Janire; Queralt, Pilar; Marcuello, Alex; Ibañez, Jesús M.; Benjumea, Beatriz; Sánchez-Alzola, Alberto; Pérez, Nemesio

2017-12-01

In this work we have done a 3D joint interpretation of magnetotelluric and seismic tomography models. Previously we have described different techniques to infer the inner structure of the Earth. We have focused on volcanic regions, specifically on Tenerife Island volcano (Canary Islands, Spain). In this area, magnetotelluric and seismic tomography studies have been done separately. The novelty of the present work is the combination of both techniques in Tenerife Island. For this aim we have applied Fuzzy Clusters Method at different depths obtaining several clusters or classes. From the results, a geothermal system has been inferred below Teide volcano, in the center of Tenerife Island. An edifice hydrothermally altered and full of fluids is situated below Teide, ending at 600 m below sea level. From this depth the resistivity and VP values increase downwards. We also observe a clay cap structure, a typical feature in geothermal systems related with low resistivity and low VP values.

3D-seismic observations of Late Pleistocene glacial dynamics on the central West Greenland margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, Julia; Knutz, Paul; Cofaigh, Colm Ó.

2016-04-01

Fast-flowing ice streams and outlet glaciers exert a major control on glacial discharge from contemporary and palaeo ice sheets. Improving our understanding of the extent and dynamic behaviour of these palaeo-ice streams is therefore crucial for predictions of the response of ice sheets to present and future climate warming and the associated implications for global sea level. This poster presents results from two 3D-seismic surveys located on the shelf adjoining the Disko Bay trough-mouth fan (TMF), one of the largest glacial outlet systems in Greenland. Located at the seaward terminus of the c. 370 km long cross-shelf Disko Trough, the Disko Bay TMF was generated by highly efficient subglacial sediment delivery onto the continental slopes during repeated ice-stream advances. A variety of submarine glacial landform assemblages are recognised on the seabed reflecting past ice-stream activity presumably related to glacial-interglacial cycles. The 3D-seismic volumes cover the shallow banks located north and south of the Disko Trough. The focus of this study is the seabed and the uppermost stratigraphic interval associated with the Late Stage of TMF development, presumably covering the late Pleistocene (Hofmann et al., submitted). Seabed morphologies include multiple sets of ridges up to 20 m high that extend in NW-SE direction for c. 30 km, and cross-cutting curvilinear furrows with maximum lengths of c. 9 km and average depths of c. 4.5 m. Back-stepping, arcuate scarps facing NW define the shelf break on the northern survey, comprising average widths of c. 4.5 km and incision depths of c. 27.5 m. The large transverse ridge features on the southern survey are likely ice-marginal and are interpreted as terminal moraine ridges recording the existence of a shelf-edge terminating, grounded Late Weichselian ice sheet. The furrows, most prominent on the outer shelf adjoining the shallow banks and partly incising the moraine ridges, are interpreted as iceberg ploughmarks

Computing 3-D wavefields in mantle circulations models to test hypotheses on the origin of lower mantle heterogeneity under Africa directly against seismic observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuberth, Bernhard; Zaroli, Christophe; Nolet, Guust

2015-04-01

Of particular interest for the tectonic evolution of the Atlantic region is the influence of lower mantle structure under Africa on flow in the upper mantle beneath the ocean basin. Along with its Pacific counterpart, the large African anomaly in the lowermost mantle with strongly reduced seismic velocities has received considerable attention in seismological and geodynamic studies. Several seismological observations are typically taken as an indication that these two anomalies are being caused by large-scale compositional variations and that they are piles of material with higher density than normal mantle rock. This would imply negative buoyancy in the lowermost mantle under Africa, which has important implications for the flow at shallower depth and inferences on the processes that led to the formation of the Atlantic Ocean basin. However, a large number of recent studies argue for a strong thermal gradient across the core-mantle boundary that might provide an alternative explanation for the lower mantle anomaly through the resulting large lateral temperature variations. Recently, we developed a new joint forward modeling approach to test such geodynamic hypotheses directly against the seismic observations: Seismic heterogeneity is predicted by converting the temperature field of a high-resolution 3-D mantle circulation model into seismic velocities using thermodynamic models of mantle mineralogy. 3-D global wave propagation in the synthetic elastic structures is then simulated using a spectral element method. Being based on forward modelling only, this approach allows us to generate synthetic wavefields and seismograms independently of seismic observations. The statistics of observed long-period body wave traveltime variations show a markedly different behaviour for P- and S-waves: the standard deviation of P-wave delay times stays almost constant with ray turning depth, while that of the S-wave delay times increases strongly throughout the mantle. In an

Azimuthally Anisotropic 3D Velocity Continuation

DOE PAGES

Burnett, William; Fomel, Sergey

2011-01-01

We extend time-domain velocity continuation to the zero-offset 3D azimuthally anisotropic case. Velocity continuation describes how a seismic image changes given a change in migration velocity. This description turns out to be of a wave propagation process, in which images change along a velocity axis. In the anisotropic case, the velocity model is multiparameter. Therefore, anisotropic image propagation is multidimensional. We use a three-parameter slowness model, which is related to azimuthal variations in velocity, as well as their principal directions. This information is useful for fracture and reservoir characterization from seismic data. We provide synthetic diffraction imaging examples to illustratemore » the concept and potential applications of azimuthal velocity continuation and to analyze the impulse response of the 3D velocity continuation operator.« less

tomo3d: a new 3-D joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography code for active-source seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meléndez, A.; Korenaga, J.; Sallarès, V.; Ranero, C. R.

2012-04-01

We present the development state of tomo3d, a code for three-dimensional refraction and reflection travel-time tomography of wide-angle seismic data based on the previous two-dimensional version of the code, tomo2d. The core of both forward and inverse problems is inherited from the 2-D version. The ray tracing is performed by a hybrid method combining the graph and bending methods. The graph method finds an ordered array of discrete model nodes, which satisfies Fermat's principle, that is, whose corresponding travel time is a global minimum within the space of discrete nodal connections. The bending method is then applied to produce a more accurate ray path by using the nodes as support points for an interpolation with beta-splines. Travel time tomography is formulated as an iterative linearized inversion, and each step is solved using an LSQR algorithm. In order to avoid the singularity of the sensitivity kernel and to reduce the instability of inversion, regularization parameters are introduced in the inversion in the form of smoothing and damping constraints. Velocity models are built as 3-D meshes, and velocity values at intermediate locations are obtained by trilinear interpolation within the corresponding pseudo-cubic cell. Meshes are sheared to account for topographic relief. A floating reflector is represented by a 2-D grid, and depths at intermediate locations are calculated by bilinear interpolation within the corresponding square cell. The trade-off between the resolution of the final model and the associated computational cost is controlled by the relation between the selected forward star for the graph method (i.e. the number of nodes that each node considers as its neighbors) and the refinement of the velocity mesh. Including reflected phases is advantageous because it provides a better coverage and allows us to define the geometry of those geological interfaces with velocity contrasts sharp enough to be observed on record sections. The code also

Using Seismic Interferometry to Investigate Seismic Swarms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzel, E.; Morency, C.; Templeton, D. C.

2017-12-01

Seismicity provides a direct means of measuring the physical characteristics of active tectonic features such as fault zones. Hundreds of small earthquakes often occur along a fault during a seismic swarm. This seismicity helps define the tectonically active region. When processed using novel geophysical techniques, we can isolate the energy sensitive to the fault, itself. Here we focus on two methods of seismic interferometry, ambient noise correlation (ANC) and the virtual seismometer method (VSM). ANC is based on the observation that the Earth's background noise includes coherent energy, which can be recovered by observing over long time periods and allowing the incoherent energy to cancel out. The cross correlation of ambient noise between a pair of stations results in a waveform that is identical to the seismogram that would result if an impulsive source located at one of the stations was recorded at the other, the Green function (GF). The calculation of the GF is often stable after a few weeks of continuous data correlation, any perturbations to the GF after that point are directly related to changes in the subsurface and can be used for 4D monitoring.VSM is a style of seismic interferometry that provides fast, precise, high frequency estimates of the Green's function (GF) between earthquakes. VSM illuminates the subsurface precisely where the pressures are changing and has the potential to image the evolution of seismicity over time, including changes in the style of faulting. With hundreds of earthquakes, we can calculate thousands of waveforms. At the same time, VSM collapses the computational domain, often by 2-3 orders of magnitude. This allows us to do high frequency 3D modeling in the fault region. Using data from a swarm of earthquakes near the Salton Sea, we demonstrate the power of these techniques, illustrating our ability to scale from the far field, where sources are well separated, to the near field where their locations fall within each other

Correlation of generation interval and scale of large-scale submarine landslides using 3D seismic data off Shimokita Peninsula, Northeast Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Yuki; Ashi, Juichiro; Morita, Sumito

2016-04-01

To clarify timing and scale of past submarine landslides is important to understand formation processes of the landslides. The study area is in a part of continental slope of the Japan Trench, where a number of large-scale submarine landslide (slump) deposits have been identified in Pliocene and Quaternary formations by analysing METI's 3D seismic data "Sanrikuoki 3D" off Shimokita Peninsula (Morita et al., 2011). As structural features, swarm of parallel dikes which are likely dewatering paths formed accompanying the slumping deformation, and slip directions are basically perpendicular to the parallel dikes. Therefore, parallel dikes are good indicator for estimation of slip directions. Slip direction of each slide was determined one kilometre grid in the survey area of 40 km x 20 km. The remarkable slip direction varies from Pliocene to Quaternary in the survey area. Parallel dike structure is also available for the distinguishment of the slump deposit and normal deposit on time slice images. By tracing outline of slump deposits at each depth, we identified general morphology of the overall slump deposits, and calculated the volume of the extracted slump deposits so as to estimate the scale of each event. We investigated temporal and spatial variation of depositional pattern of the slump deposits. Calculating the generation interval of the slumps, some periodicity is likely recognized, especially large slump do not occur in succession. Additionally, examining the relationship of the cumulative volume and the generation interval, certain correlation is observed in Pliocene and Quaternary. Key words: submarine landslides, 3D seismic data, Shimokita Peninsula

Expanding CyberShake Physics-Based Seismic Hazard Calculations to Central California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, F.; Callaghan, S.; Maechling, P. J.; Goulet, C. A.; Milner, K. R.; Graves, R. W.; Olsen, K. B.; Jordan, T. H.

2016-12-01

As part of its program of earthquake system science, the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) has developed a simulation platform, CyberShake, to perform physics-based probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) using 3D deterministic wave propagation simulations. CyberShake performs PSHA by first simulating a tensor-valued wavefield of Strain Green Tensors. CyberShake then takes an earthquake rupture forecast and extends it by varying the hypocenter location and slip distribution, resulting in about 500,000 rupture variations. Seismic reciprocity is used to calculate synthetic seismograms for each rupture variation at each computation site. These seismograms are processed to obtain intensity measures, such as spectral acceleration, which are then combined with probabilities from the earthquake rupture forecast to produce a hazard curve. Hazard curves are calculated at seismic frequencies up to 1 Hz for hundreds of sites in a region and the results interpolated to obtain a hazard map. In developing and verifying CyberShake, we have focused our modeling in the greater Los Angeles region. We are now expanding the hazard calculations into Central California. Using workflow tools running jobs across two large-scale open-science supercomputers, NCSA Blue Waters and OLCF Titan, we calculated 1-Hz PSHA results for over 400 locations in Central California. For each location, we produced hazard curves using both a 3D central California velocity model created via tomographic inversion, and a regionally averaged 1D model. These new results provide low-frequency exceedance probabilities for the rapidly expanding metropolitan areas of Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, and San Luis Obispo, and lend new insights into the effects of directivity-basin coupling associated with basins juxtaposed to major faults such as the San Andreas. Particularly interesting are the basin effects associated with the deep sediments of the southern San Joaquin Valley. We will compare hazard

Comparison of Earthquake Damage Patterns and Shallow-Depth Vs Structure Across the Napa Valley, Inferred From Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) and Multichannel Analysis of Love Waves (MALW) Modeling of Basin-Wide Seismic Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, J. H.; Catchings, R.; Strayer, L. M.; Goldman, M.; Criley, C.; Sickler, R. R.; Boatwright, J.

2017-12-01

We conducted an active-source seismic investigation across the Napa Valley (Napa Valley Seismic Investigation-16) in September of 2016 consisting of two basin-wide seismic profiles; one profile was 20 km long and N-S-trending (338°), and the other 15 km long and E-W-trending (80°) (see Catchings et al., 2017). Data from the NVSI-16 seismic investigation were recorded using a total of 666 vertical- and horizontal-component seismographs, spaced 100 m apart on both seismic profiles. Seismic sources were generated by a total of 36 buried explosions spaced 1 km apart. The two seismic profiles intersected in downtown Napa, where a large number of buildings were red-tagged by the City following the 24 August 2014 Mw 6.0 South Napa earthquake. From the recorded Rayleigh and Love waves, we developed 2-Dimensional S-wave velocity models to depths of about 0.5 km using the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method. Our MASW (Rayleigh) and MALW (Love) models show two prominent low-velocity (Vs = 350 to 1300 m/s) sub-basins that were also previously identified from gravity studies (Langenheim et al., 2010). These basins trend N-W and also coincide with the locations of more than 1500 red- and yellow-tagged buildings within the City of Napa that were tagged after the 2014 South Napa earthquake. The observed correlation between low-Vs, deep basins, and the red-and yellow-tagged buildings in Napa suggests similar large-scale seismic investigations can be performed. These correlations provide insights into the likely locations of significant structural damage resulting from future earthquakes that occur adjacent to or within sedimentary basins.

tomo3d: a new 3-D joint refraction and reflection travel-time tomography code for active-source seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meléndez, A.; Korenaga, J.; Sallares, V.; Ranero, C. R.

2012-12-01

We present the development state of tomo3d, a code for three-dimensional refraction and reflection travel-time tomography of wide-angle seismic data based on the previous two-dimensional version of the code, tomo2d. The core of both forward and inverse problems is inherited from the 2-D version. The ray tracing is performed by a hybrid method combining the graph and bending methods. The graph method finds an ordered array of discrete model nodes, which satisfies Fermat's principle, that is, whose corresponding travel time is a global minimum within the space of discrete nodal connections. The bending method is then applied to produce a more accurate ray path by using the nodes as support points for an interpolation with beta-splines. Travel time tomography is formulated as an iterative linearized inversion, and each step is solved using an LSQR algorithm. In order to avoid the singularity of the sensitivity kernel and to reduce the instability of inversion, regularization parameters are introduced in the inversion in the form of smoothing and damping constraints. Velocity models are built as 3-D meshes, and velocity values at intermediate locations are obtained by trilinear interpolation within the corresponding pseudo-cubic cell. Meshes are sheared to account for topographic relief. A floating reflector is represented by a 2-D grid, and depths at intermediate locations are calculated by bilinear interpolation within the corresponding square cell. The trade-off between the resolution of the final model and the associated computational cost is controlled by the relation between the selected forward star for the graph method (i.e. the number of nodes that each node considers as its neighbors) and the refinement of the velocity mesh. Including reflected phases is advantageous because it provides a better coverage and allows us to define the geometry of those geological interfaces with velocity contrasts sharp enough to be observed on record sections. The code also

Enhancing the revision of the static geological model of the Stuttgart Formation at the Ketzin pilot site by integration of reservoir simulations and 3D seismics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kempka, Thomas; Norden, Ben; Ivanova, Alexandra; Lüth, Stefan

2017-04-01

Pilot-scale carbon dioxide storage has been performed at the Ketzin pilot site in Germany from June 2007 to August 2013 with about 67 kt of CO2 injected into the Upper Triassic Stuttgart Formation. In this context, the main aims focussed on verification of the technical feasibility of CO2 storage in saline aquifers and development of efficient strategies for CO2 behaviour monitoring and prediction. A static geological model has been already developed at an early stage of this undertaking, and continuously revised with the availability of additional geological and operational data as well as by means of reservoir simulations, allowing for revisions in line with the efforts to achieve a solid history match in view of well bottomhole pressures and CO2 arrival times at the observation wells. Three 3D seismic campaigns followed the 2005 3D seismic baseline in 2009, 2012 and 2015. Consequently, the interpreted seismic data on spatial CO2 thickness distributions in the storage reservoir as well as seismic CO2 detection limits from recent conformity studies enabled us to enhance the previous history-matching results by adding a spatial component to the previous observations, limited to points only. For that purpose, we employed the latest version of the history-matched static geological reservoir model and revised the gridding scheme of the reservoir simulation model by coarsening and introducing local grid refinements at the areas of interest. Further measures to ensure computational efficiency included the application of the MUFITS reservoir simulator (BLACKOIL module) with PVT data derived from the MUFITS GASSTORE module. Observations considered in the inverse model calibration for a simulation time of about 5 years included well bottomhole pressures, CO2 arrival times and seismically determined CO2 thickness maps for 2009 and 2012. Pilot points were employed by means of the PEST++ inverse simulation framework to apply permeability multipliers, interpolated by kriging

Crustal structure along the DESERT 2000 Transect inferred from 3-D gravity modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Kelani, R.; Goetze, H.; Rybakov, M.; Hassouneh, M.; Schmidt, S.

2003-12-01

A three-dimensional interpretation of the newly compiled Bouguer anomaly map is part of the DESERT 2000 Transect. That is multi-disciplinary and multinational project studying for first time the Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system (DST) from the Mediterranean Sea to Saudi Arabia across the international border in the NW-SE direction. The negative Bouguer anomalies (with magnitude reached "C130 mGal), located into transform valley, are caused by the internal sedimentary basins filled by the light density young sediments (­Y10 km). A high-resolution 3-D model constrained with the seismic results reveals a possible crustal thickness and density distribution beneath the DST valley. The inferred zone of intrusion coincides with the maximum gravity anomaly over the eastern flank of the DST. The intrusion is displaced at different sectors along the NW-SE direction. The zone of the maximum crustal thinning (­30 km) is attained in the western sector at the Mediterranean. The southeastern plateau, on the other hand, shows by far the largest crustal thickness in the region (38-42 km). Linked to the left lateral movement of ~ 105 km at the boundary between the African and Arabian plate, and constrained with the DESERT 2000 seismic data, a small asymmetric topography of the Moho beneath the DST was modelled. The thickness and density of the crust suggest that a continental crust underlies the DST. The deep basins, the relatively large nature of the intrusion and the asymmetric topography of the Moho lead to the conclusion that a small-scale asthenospheric upwelling(?) might be responsible for the thinning of the crust and subsequent rifting of the Dead Sea graben during the left lateral movement.

D GIS for Flood Modelling in River Valleys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tymkow, P.; Karpina, M.; Borkowski, A.

2016-06-01

The objective of this study is implementation of system architecture for collecting and analysing data as well as visualizing results for hydrodynamic modelling of flood flows in river valleys using remote sensing methods, tree-dimensional geometry of spatial objects and GPU multithread processing. The proposed solution includes: spatial data acquisition segment, data processing and transformation, mathematical modelling of flow phenomena and results visualization. Data acquisition segment was based on aerial laser scanning supplemented by images in visible range. Vector data creation was based on automatic and semiautomatic algorithms of DTM and 3D spatial features modelling. Algorithms for buildings and vegetation geometry modelling were proposed or adopted from literature. The implementation of the framework was designed as modular software using open specifications and partially reusing open source projects. The database structure for gathering and sharing vector data, including flood modelling results, was created using PostgreSQL. For the internal structure of feature classes of spatial objects in a database, the CityGML standard was used. For the hydrodynamic modelling the solutions of Navier-Stokes equations in two-dimensional version was implemented. Visualization of geospatial data and flow model results was transferred to the client side application. This gave the independence from server hardware platform. A real-world case in Poland, which is a part of Widawa River valley near Wroclaw city, was selected to demonstrate the applicability of proposed system.

G.O.THERM.3D - Providing a 3D Atlas of Temperature in Ireland's Subsurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, Thomas; Fullea, Javier

2017-04-01

We introduce the recently initiated project G.O.THERM.3D, which aims to develop a robust and unique model of temperature within Ireland's crust and to produce a 3D temperature atlas of the country. The temperature model will be made publicly available on an interactive online platform, and the project findings will be reported to appropriate state energy and geoscience bodies. The project objective is that an interactive, publicly available 3D temperature model will increase public awareness of geothermal energy. The aim is also that the project findings will focus and encourage geothermal resource exploration and will assist in the development of public policy on geothermal energy exploration, mapping, planning and exploitation. Previous maps of temperature at depth in Ireland's subsurface are heavily reliant on temperature observations in geographically-clustered, shallow boreholes. These maps also make insufficient allowance for near-surface perturbation effects (such as the palaeoclimatic effect), do not allow for the 3D variation of petrophysical parameters and do not consider the deep, lithospheric thermal structure. To develop a 3D temperature model of Ireland's crust, G.O.THERM.3D proposes to model both the compositional and thermal structure of the Irish crust using the LitMod3D geophysical-petrological modelling tool. LitMod3D uses an integrated approach that simultaneously accounts for multiple geophysical (heat-flow, gravity, topography, magnetotelluric, seismic) and petrological (thermal conductivity, heat-production, xenolith composition) datasets, where the main rock properties (density, electrical resistivity, seismic velocity) are thermodynamically computed based on the temperature and bulk rock composition. LitMod3D has been applied to study the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath Ireland (at a depth of 100 km) and is typically used to investigate lithospheric-scale structures. In the previous studies focussing on the LAB beneath

3D seismic data interpretation of Boonsville Field, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhakeem, Aamer Ali

The Boonsville field is one of the largest gas fields in the US located in the Fort Worth Basin, north central Texas. The highest potential reservoirs reside in the Bend Conglomerate deposited during the Pennsylvanian. The Boonsville data set is prepared by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas, Austin, as part of the secondary gas recovery program. The Boonsville field seismic data set covers an area of 5.5 mi2. It includes 38 wells data. The Bend Conglomerate is deposited in fluvio-deltaic transaction. It is subdivided into many genetic sequences which include depositions of sandy conglomerate representing the potential reserves in the Boonsville field. The geologic structure of the Boonsville field subsurface are visualized by constructing structure maps of Caddo, Davis, Runaway, Beans Cr, Vineyard, and Wade. The mapping includes time structure, depth structure, horizon slice, velocity maps, and isopach maps. Many anticlines and folds are illustrated. Karst collapse features are indicated specially in the lower Atoka. Dipping direction of the Bend Conglomerate horizons are changing from dipping toward north at the top to dipping toward east at the bottom. Stratigraphic interpretation of the Runaway Formation and the Vineyard Formation using well logs and seismic data integration showed presence of fluvial dominated channels, point bars, and a mouth bar. RMS amplitude maps are generated and used as direct hydrocarbon indicator for the targeted formations. As a result, bright spots are indicated and used to identify potential reservoirs. Petrophysical analysis is conducted to obtain gross, net pay, NGR, water saturation, shale volume, porosity, and gas formation factor. Volumetric calculations estimated 989.44 MMSCF as the recoverable original gas in-place for a prospect in the Runaway and 3.32 BSCF for a prospect in the Vineyard Formation.

Development of 3-axis precise positioning seismic physical modeling system in the simulation of marine seismic exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, D.; Shin, S.; Ha, J.; Lee, D.; Lim, Y.; Chung, W.

2017-12-01

Seismic physical modeling is a laboratory-scale experiment that deals with the actual and physical phenomena that may occur in the field. In seismic physical modeling, field conditions are downscaled and used. For this reason, even a small error may lead to a big error in an actual field. Accordingly, the positions of the source and the receiver must be precisely controlled in scale modeling. In this study, we have developed a seismic physical modeling system capable of precisely controlling the 3-axis position. For automatic and precise position control of an ultrasonic transducer(source and receiver) in the directions of the three axes(x, y, and z), a motor was mounted on each of the three axes. The motor can automatically and precisely control the positions with positional precision of 2''; for the x and y axes and 0.05 mm for the z axis. As it can automatically and precisely control the positions in the directions of the three axes, it has an advantage in that simulations can be carried out using the latest exploration techniques, such as OBS and Broadband Seismic. For the signal generation section, a waveform generator that can produce a maximum of two sources was used, and for the data acquisition section, which receives and stores reflected signals, an A/D converter that can receive a maximum of four signals was used. As multiple sources and receivers could be used at the same time, the system was set up in such a way that diverse exploration methods, such as single channel, multichannel, and 3-D exploration, could be realized. A computer control program based on LabVIEW was created, so that it could control the position of the transducer, determine the data acquisition parameters, and check the exploration data and progress in real time. A marine environment was simulated using a water tank 1 m wide, 1 m long, and 0.9 m high. To evaluate the performance and applicability of the seismic physical modeling system developed in this study, single channel and

Understanding the seismic wave propagation inside and around an underground cavity from a 3D numerical survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esterhazy, Sofi; Schneider, Felix; Perugia, Ilaria; Bokelmann, Götz

2017-04-01

Motivated by the need to detect an underground cavity within the procedure of an On-Site-Inspection (OSI) of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which might be caused by a nuclear explosion/weapon testing, we aim to provide a basic numerical study of the wave propagation around and inside such an underground cavity. One method to investigate the geophysical properties of an underground cavity allowed by the Comprehensive Nuclear-test Ban Treaty is referred to as "resonance seismometry" - a resonance method that uses passive or active seismic techniques, relying on seismic cavity vibrations. This method is in fact not yet entirely determined by the Treaty and so far, there are only very few experimental examples that have been suitably documented to build a proper scientific groundwork. This motivates to investigate this problem on a purely numerical level and to simulate these events based on recent advances in numerical modeling of wave propagation problems. Our numerical study includes the full elastic wave field in three dimensions. We consider the effects from an incoming plane wave as well as point source located in the surrounding of the cavity at the surface. While the former can be considered as passive source like a tele-seismic earthquake, the latter represents a man-made explosion or a viborseis as used for/in active seismic techniques. Further we want to demonstrate the specific characteristics of the scattered wave field from a P-waves and S-wave separately. For our simulations in 3D we use the discontinuous Galerkin Spectral Element Code SPEED developed by MOX (The Laboratory for Modeling and Scientific Computing, Department of Mathematics) and DICA (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering) at the Politecnico di Milano. The computations are carried out on the Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC). The accurate numerical modeling can facilitate the development of proper analysis techniques to detect the remnants of an

Deformation of ``Villafranchian'' lacustrine sediments in the Chisone Valley (Western Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collo, Giovanni; Giardino, Marco

1997-09-01

The Chisone Valley is located in the internal NW Alps, in the Pinerolese District, an area characterized by present low to medium seismicity. Fine-grained sediments (sand, silt and clay with interbedded gravel) crop out in the lower Chisone Valley: they were first interpreted as glaciolacustrine deposits, and then as a lacustrine infilling of the valley floor probably due to differential uplifting of the valley mouth. Review of this data, together with new field and palynological observations, lead us to refer the lacustrine deposits to approximately the Lower Pleistocene (Villafranchian). In many outcrops, the lacustrine deposits show strong soft-sediment deformation such as convolute laminations, water-escape structures and disrupted beds, some of them associated with folds and faults (cm to dm in size); only two sites show metric to decametric folds and faults trending E-W and N-S. Detailed structural analysis conducted along a recently exposed section (Rio Gran Dubbione site) shows several soft-sediment deformation features on the limbs of mesoscale folds. Because of their intimate structural association, the origin of these minor structures seems to be connected to synsedimentary activity on reverse and normal faults (m to dm in size) affecting the lacustrine deposits in the same locality. Soft-sediment deformation features can be interpreted as possible paleoseismites. If so, the present seismicity of the Pinerolese District, which is the major area of such activity in NW Italy, cannot be considered an isolated episode in the geological evolution of the region; even if there is no supporting evidence for continuous seismicity, the deformations in the lacustrine sediments of the Chisone Valley testify to Early Pleistocene seismic activity, probably related to the recent tectonic evolution of the internal side of the NW Alps.

High-resolution 3-D S-wave Tomography of upper crust structures in Yilan Plain from Ambient Seismic Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kai-Xun; Chen, Po-Fei; Liang, Wen-Tzong; Chen, Li-Wei; Gung, YuanCheng

2015-04-01

The Yilan Plain (YP) in NE Taiwan locates on the western YP of the Okinawa Trough and displays high geothermal gradients with abundant hot springs, likely resulting from magmatism associated with the back-arc spreading as attested by the offshore volcanic island (Kueishantao). YP features NS distinctive characteristics that the South YP exhibits thin top sedimentary layer, high on-land seismicity and significant SE movements, relative those of the northern counterpart. A dense network (~2.5 km station interval) of 89 Texan instruments was deployed in Aug. 2014, covering most of the YP and its vicinity. The ray path coverage density of each 0.015 degree cells are greater than 150 km that could provide the robustness assessment of tomographic results. We analyze ambient noise signals to invert a high-resolution 3D S-wave model for shallow velocity structures in and around YP. The aim is to investigate the velocity anomalies corresponding to geothermal resources and the NS geological distinctions aforementioned. We apply the Welch's method to generate empirical Rayleigh wave Green's functions between two stations records of continuous vertical components. The group velocities of thus derived functions are then obtained by the multiple-filter analysis technique measured at the frequency range between 0.25 and 1 Hz. Finally, we implement a wavelet-based multi-scale parameterization technique to construct 3D model of S-wave velocity. Our first month results exhibit low velocity in the plain, corresponding existing sediments, those of whole YP show low velocity offshore YP and those of high-resolution south YP reveal stark velocity contrast across the Sanshin fault. Key words: ambient seismic noises, Welch's method, S-wave, Yilan Plain

Seismic Data from Roosevelt Hot Springs, Utah FORGE Study Area

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, John

This set of data contains raw and processed 2D and 3D seismic data from the Utah FORGE study area near Roosevelt Hot Springs. The zipped archives numbered from 1-100 to 1001-1122 contain 3D seismic uncorrelated shot gatherers SEG-Y files. The zipped archives numbered from 1-100C to 1001-1122C contain 3D seismic correlated shot gatherers SEG-Y files. Other data have intuitive names.

The Las Vegas Valley Seismic Response Project: Ground Motions in Las Vegas Valley from Nuclear Explosions at the Nevada Test Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodgers, A; Tkalcic, H; McCallen, D

2005-03-18

Between 2001-2004 the Las Vegas Seismic Response Project has sought to understand the response of Las Vegas Valley (LVV) to seismic excitation. In this study, the author report the findings of this project with an emphasis on ground motions in LVV from nuclear explosions at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). These ground motions are used to understand building structural response and damage as well as human perception. Historical nuclear explosion observations are augmented with earthquake recordings from a temporary deployment of seismometers to improve spatial coverage of LVV. The nuclear explosions were conducted between 1968 and 1989 and were recordedmore » at various sites within Las Vegas. The data from past nuclear tests were used to constrain ground motions in LVV and to gain a predictive capability of ground motions for possible future nuclear tests at NTS. Analysis of ground motion data includes peak ground motions (accelerations and velocities) and amplification of basin sites relative to hard rock sites (site response). Site response was measured with the Standard Spectral Ratios (SSR) technique relative to hard rock reference sites on the periphery of LVV. The site response curves indicate a strong basin amplification of up to a factor of ten at frequencies between 0.5-2 Hz. Amplifications are strongest in the central and northern portions of LVV, where the basin is deeper than 1 km based on the reported basin depths of Langenheim et al (2001a). They found a strong correlation between amplification and basin depth and shallow shear wave velocities. Amplification below 1 Hz is strongly controlled by slowness-averaged shear velocities to depths of 30 and 100 meters. Depth averaged shear velocities to 10 meters has modest control of amplifications between 1-3 Hz. Modeling reveals that low velocity material in the shallow layers (< 200 m) effectively controls amplification. They developed a method to scale nuclear explosion ground motion time series to sites

Development of a 3D VHR seismic reflection system for lacustrine settings - a case study in Lake Geneva, Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheidhauer, M.; Dupuy, D.; Marillier, F.; Beres, M.

2003-04-01

For better understanding of geologic processes in complex lacustrine settings, detailed information on geologic features is required. In many cases, the 3D seismic method may be the only appropriate approach. The aim of this work is to develop an efficient very high-resolution 3D seismic reflection system for lake studies. In Lake Geneva, Switzerland, near the city of Lausanne, past high-resolution investigations revealed a complex fault zone, which was subsequently chosen for testing our new system of three 24-channel streamers and integrated differential GPS (dGPS) positioning. A survey, carried out in 9 days in August 2001, covered an area of 1500^om x 675^om and comprised 180 CMP lines sailed perpendicular to the fault strike always updip, since otherwise the asymmetric system would result in different stacks for opposite directions. Accurate navigation and shot spacing of 5^om is achieved with a specially developed navigation and shot-triggering software that uses differential GPS onboard and a reference base close to the lake shore. Hydrophone positions could be accurately (<^o0.5^om) calculated with the aid of three additional dGPS antennas mounted on rafts attached to the streamer tails. Towed at a distance of only 75^om behind the vessel, they allowed determination of possible feathering due to cross-line currents or small course variations. The multi-streamer system uses two retractable booms deployed on each side of the boat and rest on floats. They separate the two outer streamers from the one in the center by a distance of 7.5^om. Combined with a receiver spacing of 2.5^om, the bin dimension of the 3D data becomes 3.75^om in cross-line and 1.25^om in inline direction. Potential aliasing problems from steep reflectors up to 30^o within the fault zone motivated the use of a 15/15 cu. in. double-chamber bubble-canceling Mini G.I. air gun (operated at 80^obars and 1^om depth). Although its frequencies do not exceed 650^o Hz, it combines a penetration of

Application of seismic-refraction techniques to hydrologic studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haeni, F.P.

1986-01-01

During the past 30 years, seismic-refraction methods have been used extensively in petroleum, mineral, and engineering investigations, and to some extent for hydrologic applications. Recent advances in equipment, sound sources, and computer interpretation techniques make seismic refraction a highly effective and economical means of obtaining subsurface data in hydrologic studies. Aquifers that can be defined by one or more high seismic-velocity surfaces, such as (1) alluvial or glacial deposits in consolidated rock valleys, (2) limestone or sandstone underlain by metamorphic or igneous rock, or (3) saturated unconsolidated deposits overlain by unsaturated unconsolidated deposits,are ideally suited for applying seismic-refraction methods. These methods allow the economical collection of subsurface data, provide the basis for more efficient collection of data by test drilling or aquifer tests, and result in improved hydrologic studies.This manual briefly reviews the basics of seismic-refraction theory and principles. It emphasizes the use of this technique in hydrologic investigations and describes the planning, equipment, field procedures, and intrepretation techniques needed for this type of study.Examples of the use of seismic-refraction techniques in a wide variety of hydrologic studies are presented.

Application of seismic-refraction techniques to hydrologic studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haeni, F.P.

1988-01-01

During the past 30 years, seismic-refraction methods have been used extensively in petroleum, mineral, and engineering investigations and to some extent for hydrologic applications. Recent advances in equipment, sound sources, and computer interpretation techniques make seismic refraction a highly effective and economical means of obtaining subsurface data in hydrologic studies. Aquifers that can be defined by one or more high-seismic-velocity surface, such as (1) alluvial or glacial deposits in consolidated rock valleys, (2) limestone or sandstone underlain by metamorphic or igneous rock, or (3) saturated unconsolidated deposits overlain by unsaturated unconsolidated deposits, are ideally suited for seismic-refraction methods. These methods allow economical collection of subsurface data, provide the basis for more efficient collection of data by test drilling or aquifer tests, and result in improved hydrologic studies. This manual briefly reviews the basics of seismic-refraction theory and principles. It emphasizes the use of these techniques in hydrologic investigations and describes the planning, equipment, field procedures, and interpretation techniques needed for this type of study. Further-more, examples of the use of seismic-refraction techniques in a wide variety of hydrologic studies are presented.

Multiple 3d Approaches for the Architectural Study of the Medieval Abbey of Cormery in the Loire Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouyet, T.

2017-02-01

This paper will focus on the technical approaches used for a PhD thesis regarding architecture and spatial organization of benedict abbeys in Touraine in the Middle Ages, in particular the abbey of Cormery in the heart of the Loire Valley. Monastic space is approached in a diachronic way, from the early Middle Ages to the modern times using multi-sources data: architectural study, written sources, ancient maps, various iconographic documents… Many scales are used in the analysis, from the establishment of the abbeys in a territory to the scale of a building like the tower-entrance of the church of Cormery. These methodological axes have been developed in the research unit CITERES for many years and the 3D technology is now used to go further along in that field. The recording in 3D of the buildings of the abbey of Cormery allows us to work at the scale of the monastery and to produce useful data such as sections or orthoimages of the ground and the walls faces which are afterwards drawn and analysed. The study of these documents, crossed with the other historical sources, allowed us to emphasize the presence of walls older than what we thought and to discover construction elements that had not been recognized earlier and which enhance the debate about the construction date St Paul tower and associated the monastic church.

Earthquake Monitoring: SeisComp3 at the Swiss National Seismic Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clinton, J. F.; Diehl, T.; Cauzzi, C.; Kaestli, P.

2011-12-01

The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) has an ongoing responsibility to improve the seismicity monitoring capability for Switzerland. This is a crucial issue for a country with low background seismicity but where a large M6+ earthquake is expected in the next decades. With over 30 stations with spacing of ~25km, the SED operates one of the densest broadband networks in the world, which is complimented by ~ 50 realtime strong motion stations. The strong motion network is expected to grow with an additional ~80 stations over the next few years. Furthermore, the backbone of the network is complemented by broadband data from surrounding countries and temporary sub-networks for local monitoring of microseismicity (e.g. at geothermal sites). The variety of seismic monitoring responsibilities as well as the anticipated densifications of our network demands highly flexible processing software. We are transitioning all software to the SeisComP3 (SC3) framework. SC3 is a fully featured automated real-time earthquake monitoring software developed by GeoForschungZentrum Potsdam in collaboration with commercial partner, gempa GmbH. It is in its core open source, and becoming a community standard software for earthquake detection and waveform processing for regional and global networks across the globe. SC3 was originally developed for regional and global rapid monitoring of potentially tsunamagenic earthquakes. In order to fulfill the requirements of a local network recording moderate seismicity, SED has tuned configurations and added several modules. In this contribution, we present our SC3 implementation strategy, focusing on the detection and identification of seismicity on different scales. We operate several parallel processing "pipelines" to detect and locate local, regional and global seismicity. Additional pipelines with lower detection thresholds can be defined to monitor seismicity within dense subnets of the network. To be consistent with existing processing

3D superwide-angle one-way propagator and its application in seismic modeling and imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Xiaofeng; Jiang, Yunong; Wu, Ru-Shan

2018-07-01

Traditional one-way wave-equation based propagators have been widely used in past decades. Comparing to two-way propagators, one-way methods have higher efficiency and lower memory demands. These two features are especially important in solving large-scale 3D problems. However, regular one-way propagators cannot simulate waves that propagate in large angles within 90° because of their inherent wide angle limitation. Traditional one-way can only propagate along the determined direction (e.g., z-direction), so simulation of turning waves is beyond the ability of one-way methods. We develop 3D superwide-angle one-way propagator to overcome angle limitation and to simulate turning waves with superwide-angle propagation angle (>90°) for modeling and imaging complex geological structures. Wavefields propagating along vertical and horizontal directions are combined using typical stacking scheme. A weight function related to the propagation angle is used for combining and updating wavefields in each propagating step. In the implementation, we use graphics processing units (GPU) to accelerate the process. Typical workflow is designed to exploit the advantages of GPU architecture. Numerical examples show that the method achieves higher accuracy in modeling and imaging steep structures than regular one-way propagators. Actually, superwide-angle one-way propagator can be applied based on any one-way method to improve the effects of seismic modeling and imaging.

Map showing seismicity and sandblows in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rhea, B. Susan; Tarr, Arthur C.; Wheeler, Russell L.

1994-01-01

This is one of a series of five seismotectic maps of the seismically active New Madrid, Missouri, area (table 1; Wheeler and others, 1992). The map area centers near the sites of three great earthquakes that struck during the winter of 1811-12 (Fuller, 1912; Nuttli, 1973). These earthquakes and continuing subsequent seismicity rank the New Madrid area with Cherlevoix, Quebec, as the two most seismically active areas in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The threat posed by New Madrid seismicity to the central United States makes the area the focus of many investigations (for examples, Heyl and McKeown, 1978; McKeown and Pakiser, 1982; Algemissen and Hopper, 1984; Hamilton and Johnston, 1990; Applied Technology Council, 1991; Johnston and others, 1992). The map area includes the most intense seismic activity in the New Madrid region. A seismotectic map shows some of the geologic and geophysical information needed to assess seismic hazard (Hadley and Devine, 1974; Pavoni, 1985). A previous seismotectonic map of the central Mississippi River valley (Heyl and McKeown, 1978) has had wide use for planning field surveys, as a base map for plotting data collected during single investigations, and for compiling a range of information. Since 1978 numcrous researchers have greatly advanced our knowledge of the geology and geophysics of the central Mississippi Valley. The New Madrid seismotectonic map folio updates approximately the south-central sixth of the central Mississippi Valley seismotectonic map of Heyl and McKeown (1978).

Strain accumulation across the central Nevada seismic zone, 1973-1994

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savage, J. C.; Lisowski, M.; Svarc, J. L.; Gross, W. K.

1995-10-01

Five trilateration networks extending for 280 km along the central Nevada seismic zone (1915 Pleasant Valley, M = 7.3; 1954 Dixie Valley, M = 6.8; 1954 Stillwater, M = 6.8; 1954 Rainbow Mountain, M = 6.6; 1954 Fairview Peak, M = 7.1; and 1932 Cedar Mountain, M = 7.2) have been surveyed 6 times since 1973 to determine deformation along the zone. Within the precision of measurement the deformation appears uniform along the zone and is described by the principal strain rates 0.036±0.008 μstrain/yr N60°W±3° and -0.031±0.008 μstrain/yr N30°E±3°, extension reckoned positive. The observed strain rates are consistent with simple, right-lateral, tensor shear at the rate of 0.033 μstrain/yr across a shear zone striking N15°W. This central Nevada shear zone appears to be the northward continuation of the eastern California shear zone. The orientation of the strike-slip and normal-slip ruptures within the central Nevada seismic zone are consistent with principal stress axes parallel to the measured principal strain rate axes. Space-based geodetic measurements (very long baseline interferometry) indicate that the relative motion accommodated across the Basin and Range province west of Ely, Nevada, is about 9.1±1.5 mm/yr N16°W±8° (Dixon et al., 1995.) Notice that the right-lateral shear zone postulated to explain deformation in the central Nevada seismic zone is properly oriented to accommodate that relative motion. However, a 135-km effective width of the shear zone would be required to accommodate all of the 9.1 mm/yr relative motion at the strain rates observed in the Nevada seismic zone; only about 3 mm/yr of that relative motion is accommodated within the span of the trilateration networks.